This is one of those 'good for all but essential for some' strategies for direct teaching. Direct teaching means being very specific in everything you do to ensure student learning occurs. All too many times we hear "Well I taught it, I don't know why they don't get it". The emphasis needs to shift from teaching to learning, when this happens, the result is improved student learning. Here are a few points to ensure that your lessons maximize student learning outcomes:
1.) Know your 'big idea' or main essential learning outcome.
* Can you state very precisely what the lesson outcome is?
* What is the one thought or main idea of your lesson?Are you certain that the student(s)is ready for this learning outcome?
* How are you tapping into prior learning?
2.) Know your sequencing.
* What is the step by step procedure for this lesson?
* How will you make this lesson concrete?
* What are all the resources you need?
3.) Remain concrete.
* How will the skill be modeled?
* What do your examples look like?
* What prompts will you use?Have you allowed time for guided practice?
4.) How will you check for understanding?
* Checking for understanding is essential, it lets you know if your instruction works or if additional intervention or remediation or re-teaching is required.
* How will the child demonstrate that the learning outcome has been mastered? Will you use questioning? Observation? Show me approach?
* Many students with special needs have difficulty with self-monitoring, have you allowed for some opportunity for independence? The goal is to ensure all learners become independent, self-monitoring may require appropriate prompts from you, for example "Are you on task?"
* What and how are you giving in the way of feedback to the student?
5.) Follow up
* How will you record the student learning of this lesson?
* What is the follow up to this lesson?
* Is there a component worth involving parents or professionals for additional support?
Monday, January 29, 2007
Academic Implications for a Child with Asperger's Syndrome
If you've ever worked with a child with Asperger's Syndrome, you'll have probably noticed that they see things somewhat differently. The child exhibits minimal empathy, one sided conversations, difficulty socially, struggles to form friendships, absorption in specfic areas of interest and will be somewhat clumsy.
For the educator, there are 3 areas of focus that will help maximize learning opportunities for the child with Asperger's Syndrome:
* Social
* Language and Academic Functioning
* Sensory
Social
* Teach the child how to join in play situations, otherwise the child will interrupt the ongoing play and won't be welcome.
* Encourage other children to play with the child with Asperger's.
* Always point out to the child with Asperger's what they should have done in an inappropriately handled situation and how they should handle it next time.
* Never take for granted that the child knows how to act socially, always be prepared to teach appropriate social behaviors in a variety of settings.
* You will want to teach about the various emotions (happy, sad, angry etc.)and how to support them.
* Use storybooks to model acceptable behaviors and teach about emotions.
* Use role play to talk about inappropriate social behaviors and how to encourage positive behaviors.
* Maximize opportunities for cooperative learning.
* Encourage and support positive interactions regularly.
Although it may seem time consuming to teach social behaviors, the child with Asperger's will learn them with ongoing support, in fact they will learn them surprisingly well.
Language and Academic Functioning
Many children with Asperger's will display delays in language development, use pedantic language, display a weakness in comprehension and have great difficulty with literal vs figuative speech.
They'll have difficulty understanding points of views from others, however, they'll often have normal intelligence although sometimes it won't show on intelligence testing. They will often exhibit surprisingly good memory skills.
* These children will usually need to be taught how to ask for help or assistance.
* They'll need to be taught not to interrupt in a variety of settings
* They will usually take everything literally, so be aware of how you can be misinterpreted. (Find out how to teach the difference between literal and figurative speech) .
Sensory
* Avoid certain sounds, children with Asperger's can be very sensitive to specific sounds.
* Try to keep background noise to a minimal
* Avoid bright or intense lighting situations
* It should be noted that the most common sensitivities for these students are sound and touch, it's important to be aware of this.
A Word of Caution
Asperger's Syndrome is a label. Students with Asperger's have some difficulty with communication, transitions, they will often have an intense area of interest, they will have difficulty socially and have sensory sensitivity. A label is never helpful unless it helps you better support the student. Knowing what works and how to program is key. You now have a glimpse of what these children need and how you can support them.
For the educator, there are 3 areas of focus that will help maximize learning opportunities for the child with Asperger's Syndrome:
* Social
* Language and Academic Functioning
* Sensory
Social
* Teach the child how to join in play situations, otherwise the child will interrupt the ongoing play and won't be welcome.
* Encourage other children to play with the child with Asperger's.
* Always point out to the child with Asperger's what they should have done in an inappropriately handled situation and how they should handle it next time.
* Never take for granted that the child knows how to act socially, always be prepared to teach appropriate social behaviors in a variety of settings.
* You will want to teach about the various emotions (happy, sad, angry etc.)and how to support them.
* Use storybooks to model acceptable behaviors and teach about emotions.
* Use role play to talk about inappropriate social behaviors and how to encourage positive behaviors.
* Maximize opportunities for cooperative learning.
* Encourage and support positive interactions regularly.
Although it may seem time consuming to teach social behaviors, the child with Asperger's will learn them with ongoing support, in fact they will learn them surprisingly well.
Language and Academic Functioning
Many children with Asperger's will display delays in language development, use pedantic language, display a weakness in comprehension and have great difficulty with literal vs figuative speech.
They'll have difficulty understanding points of views from others, however, they'll often have normal intelligence although sometimes it won't show on intelligence testing. They will often exhibit surprisingly good memory skills.
* These children will usually need to be taught how to ask for help or assistance.
* They'll need to be taught not to interrupt in a variety of settings
* They will usually take everything literally, so be aware of how you can be misinterpreted. (Find out how to teach the difference between literal and figurative speech) .
Sensory
* Avoid certain sounds, children with Asperger's can be very sensitive to specific sounds.
* Try to keep background noise to a minimal
* Avoid bright or intense lighting situations
* It should be noted that the most common sensitivities for these students are sound and touch, it's important to be aware of this.
A Word of Caution
Asperger's Syndrome is a label. Students with Asperger's have some difficulty with communication, transitions, they will often have an intense area of interest, they will have difficulty socially and have sensory sensitivity. A label is never helpful unless it helps you better support the student. Knowing what works and how to program is key. You now have a glimpse of what these children need and how you can support them.
How To Integrate the Special Needs Student into Physical Education
The term special education means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including: instruction conducted in the classroom and instruction in physical education. The specially designed program will be outlined in the child's Individual Education Program/Plan (IEP). Therefore, physical education services, specially designed if necessary, must be made available to every child with a disability receiving FAPE.
Physical Education for a special needs child will develop: Physical and motor fitness; Fundamental motor skills and patterns; and skills in aquatics, dance, and individual and group games and sports (including intramural and lifetime sports).[p The implication of IDEA's laws is basically to integrate all children within instructional and extra class programs and to individualize the instructional strategies and activity areas to support the special needs children.
Some activites will have more restrictions than others and some will be less vigorous than others depending on the needs. The teacher in conjunction with other supporting staff will decide if the physical education program requires mild, moderate or limited participation. Remember that you will be adapting, modifying, and changing the activity and or equipment to meet the needs of the special needs students. This may mean, larger balls, bats, partner assistance, using different body parts, providing more rest time. The goal is to ensure the child is progressing and having some form of success.
Helpful Suggestions
1. Consult with parents and specialized support staff.
2. Do not require students to do activities they are not capable of.
3. Don't have student selections for teams and games that will leave the special needs child the last to be selected.
4. Whenever possible, create tasks that the child with a handicap is capable of performing, this helps self-respect.
5. There are a wealth of resources online and with associations concerned with exceptional children. Search out these resources.
Remember, when working towards an inclusional approach, you will always need to think:
* How can I change this activity to suit the student?
* How can I adapt this activity?
* How can I modify this activity?
Think in terms of action, time, assistance, equipment, boundaries, distance etc.
One special educator I worked with told me that she had tremendous success with Yoga when working on adaptive physical education. When searching for activities to support your learners with disabilities, try searching the term: Adapted Physical Education or Activities or Lesson Plans.
Physical Education for a special needs child will develop: Physical and motor fitness; Fundamental motor skills and patterns; and skills in aquatics, dance, and individual and group games and sports (including intramural and lifetime sports).[p The implication of IDEA's laws is basically to integrate all children within instructional and extra class programs and to individualize the instructional strategies and activity areas to support the special needs children.
Some activites will have more restrictions than others and some will be less vigorous than others depending on the needs. The teacher in conjunction with other supporting staff will decide if the physical education program requires mild, moderate or limited participation. Remember that you will be adapting, modifying, and changing the activity and or equipment to meet the needs of the special needs students. This may mean, larger balls, bats, partner assistance, using different body parts, providing more rest time. The goal is to ensure the child is progressing and having some form of success.
Helpful Suggestions
1. Consult with parents and specialized support staff.
2. Do not require students to do activities they are not capable of.
3. Don't have student selections for teams and games that will leave the special needs child the last to be selected.
4. Whenever possible, create tasks that the child with a handicap is capable of performing, this helps self-respect.
5. There are a wealth of resources online and with associations concerned with exceptional children. Search out these resources.
Remember, when working towards an inclusional approach, you will always need to think:
* How can I change this activity to suit the student?
* How can I adapt this activity?
* How can I modify this activity?
Think in terms of action, time, assistance, equipment, boundaries, distance etc.
One special educator I worked with told me that she had tremendous success with Yoga when working on adaptive physical education. When searching for activities to support your learners with disabilities, try searching the term: Adapted Physical Education or Activities or Lesson Plans.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Journal Of Special Education
Reading written journals on special education can help, for the articles can give you an in-depth insight to the true nature of teaching special children and what is involved. You will read about things you need to know as a teacher, parent, or specialist handling children with special needs. This is because the journals are written by scholars, recognized individuals and key persons in the field.
The Journal of Special Education is a written periodical that tackles the subject of special education. In it, you can find comprehensive discussions, reviews and commentaries, sample interventions in dealing with special children, outlined procedures concerning special students and timely research and in-depth analysis on matters concerning special education.
You do not need to buy published journals on special education just to get your hands on one, for there are available sources and links online that contain reliable research and discussions. Sample articles that you can find in online journals are practical applications and strategic teaching methods that you can use to educate special children formulated theories that address key issues on teaching children and individuals with special needs, source of advocacy or integrated network listing of disability and educational information, comprehensive guide on teaching individuals with special needs and selected reviews and data that can guide you in determining the needs of your students.
These are only some sample contents that you can obtain in electronic journals regarding special education. Whatever resource you use, the ideas and concepts gathered, plus the solutions presented, can help you become sensitive to the needs of your students and be quick in responding to them
SAP Education Benefits
The main objective of SAP Education Benefit was to achieve a successful technical upgrade. This SAP Education Benefit article was mainly focused on changes in the project level. The project management approach permitted the orange county public schools to achieve the successful upgrade from SAP 4.0 to 4.7.
Regarding the project management, some impressive numbers were also disclosed by the consultant. Mr. Jerry veal, the managing consultant of this project said that in a year 200,000 hours of manpower was saved. He also says that $ 750,000 runtime hours in an annual year were also saved.
If arithmetic is performed, it even adds up the saving of millions of dollars in a year. This is what we have heard from other school systems with successful enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations. Another important factor is that OCPS has already worked out with change and project management strategy which is upcoming functionality expansion.
The destination is same for OCPS to take its own way. For instance, OCPS avoid the big bang approach to implement, placing a phased approach into play. This OCPS has some financial procurement, HR, payroll, plant maintenance, teacher certification, and some other modules.
Sap’s on Demand Version
SAP previews the on demand version in his back office some software product like enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) at a recent analyst summit.
Mr. David Bradshaw says regarding this preview: he says “Each consumer will have their separate case of the software running on a separate server blade, with a separate database for storage of data. The SAP will maintain this software directly, fixing bugs and providing updates without taking the system down."
In such a situation, the on demand versions of SAP software will be preconfigured for certain verticals. The SAP service-oriented architecture (SOA) approach will allow consumers to squeeze the functionality. Customization started increases for mid-market CRM and ERP, so that it will increase or improve the technology development
A Criminal Justice Degree Online - Would You Dare To Take The Step
Have you ever considered taking a criminal justice degree online? Let's do
A Little Thought Experiment
It's Monday night, and it has been a hard day at work. You left the cube farm and fought the freeway monsters to get home as fast as possible and you're beat. You grab a bag of potato chips and a Coke, and sit down to watch CSI. You love this series, especially the Miami show. Some version of CSI is always on some channel every night during the week, and you rarely miss it. Sometimes you dream about being a CSI Investigator yourself, but it's simply not possible.
Unlike most of us, it's not the blood-and-guts that make CSI fascinating to you. It's the forensic science the criminal investigators are applying. You'd sure rather be solving forensic puzzles than balancing profit-loss statements at your old office or wherever you work, but it's not possible, it's only a dream. You would you ever think that you could become a forensic detective?
Why the heck not? Why couldn't you be a CSI investigator? Yes, you probably would need to get a certain degree, probably in criminal justice or something like that. However, It's not impossible. You can get a criminal justice degree on the internet these days. If you think about it, getting a criminal justice degree from the net would remove most of the barriers to accomplishing that dream of yours.
When A Dream Comes True
But you as the rest of us have bills to pay, you say, and you can't just quit your job and go to school. That's all right. Nobody will stop you from continuing to scoop poop in the cube farm while you get your criminal justice degree online. You just take the classes when you're available. You might have to miss an occasional CSI episode or two to fit it in, but you'd be studying the real thing.
But there are years since you have been to school, and you're scared you won't succeed and your cube buddies would laugh at you. Please let me encourage you a bit here. Online education is made for adults. Many students will claim that it's more learner friendly that ordinary classroom education. New teaching technology combined with the internet makes it accessible and interesting and nobody has to know what you're doing until you are ready to tell them. You learn in the comfort of your own home. As far as I can see, it's the perfect solution.
It is possible indeed. You can make your dream come true. You could get your criminal justice degree online and become a CSI Detective. Or you can keep watching TV and making excuses, and four years from now you'll still be working in the cube farm. It's entirely up to you. You can do it if you really want to. Therefore, I think you should go for it. Yes, go for it!
Interior Design Distance Education
So you're interested in interior design distance education. You're probably the kind of person who automatically notices the interior features of buildings as soon as you enter them. You think about how things could be arranged differently to make the space work better, and you imagine how you would design, arrange and decorate the space if it was yours to play with. You're not just thinking about how it looks; you're thinking about how it works.
You're a natural interior designer - all you need to build a solid foundation for a career doing something you love is credentials from one of the best interior design programs. Look forward to learning how to read blueprints and work cooperatively with electricians, plumbers, architects, and other construction specialists to perfect the design of buildings. Look forward to designing spaces that work well for people. You'll soon be automatically thinking about access for the physically challenged, features that attract clients or customers, and features that increase the comfort and productivity of employees. It's a package of skills that a good interior design distance education program can deliver.
As a new graduate of interior design school, you'll be competing with other talented individuals for jobs with firms of various sizes, or like many designers, hoping to set up your own small business and remain self-employed. The good news is that even new graduates of interior design programs earn well above minimum wage - you can reasonably expect to earn about $30,000US in your first full year of employment. As you gain experience, of course, your earnings will increase, and if you succeed in building a good reputation with your work, you may do extremely well. Those who combine great organizational skills with interior design talent progress to management positions and can earn 70,000US or more. Interior design distance education programs will get you started on a career path that may ultimately be not only satisfying but extremely lucrative.
In the United States, most graduates of interior design programs are employed by architectural and engineering firms, specialized firms providing design services, and furniture stores. Of these, architectural and engineering employers tend to offer the best salaries. Other employers who look for people with credentials from an interior design school are construction material suppliers and residential contractors. Almost one third of interior designers are self-employed, a life style with enviable freedom and considerable earning potential for the hard working and talented graduate of interior design distance education.
People are paying more attention to building design than ever before and employment opportunities for interior designers are expected to increase between now and 2014; credentials from an interior design distance education course will not be wasted. And with credentials from a good interior design school, you'll have a distinct advantage over others who are trying to establish a career without formal training.
Statistics were taken from "U.S. Dept. of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics" and "Careers in Interior Design." Contact your preferred interior design programs for up to date information on salary and employment outlook.
Increasing Education-Building a Business Entirely Online
The Internet has transformed the way people get their education. Where once, taking online courses was an exception rather than the rule, it has now become one of the most popular and quickest ways to educate oneself and even start your own business. Traditional online education isn't the only way to educate oneself. Just gathering information about a particular subject that interests you is a form of educating yourself.
There are also distance and continued learning courses which are more formal than simply gathering information, but less formal than a traditional class where accredited grades are given. Some online websites allows both education, through personal development courses and many other subjects, and starting your own business to be accomplished at the same time. Anything you want to learn about can be found and a certification can be offered whether its just for show or one that can actually give you accredited status. That's enough to appeal to almost everyone in some way. Getting your "webucation", or education obtained on the world wide web, in specific areas that you want to know about is a reality that many are taking advantage of these days.
Students are offered a chance to not only get web-educated, and thereby become "students" of the training materials, but, if the service has an affiliate program, there is the ability to start their own business from home by offering the personal development education services to other potential "students". These students pay a monthly fee for registering and accessing the many courses available and certificates are even issued upon completion.
Business minded people may particularly be interested in this as not only do they get to use the site to start their own business online, again, if there's an affiliate program, but they also get the motivational training that many business professionals need to succeed in life and the business world, and will want to network with others about it. The added bonus is that they can also get paid to do it.
The field of "webucation" is growing and there does seem to be an education demand in this online niche that is growing like wildfire thanks to the proliferation and world wide reach of the Internet. In a Forbes magazine article, Peter Drucker is quoted as saying that, "Triggered by the Internet, continuing adult education may well become our greatest growth industry". Because of this fast growing education niche, business savvy people might want to take advantage of an online business and educational opportunity in a growth industry.
By extending this form of education to themselves as well as others, they have a chance to make a profit at the same time. Helping others obtain more personal education while increasing satisfaction in the lives of others overall is a worthy goal.
Why continue learning online? It is easier than ever, for one. For most busy people who want to continue their education but don't have the time to sit in a classroom, this is a great timesaver. It is also flexible as they can review material whenever they want as many times as they want. It is also much cheaper than paying tuition for traditional education courses which everyone knows goes up every year.
Why start a business online? A lot of people don't even know that they can but many are now just starting to come to this conclusion. More and more people are wanting and needing to supplement their income without having to commute. There are also those business minded people who just want to do "something different" in their lives. This is a great way to start.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Importance of Career Planning
Career means profession, which we want to adopt for earning livelihood, and planning means proper flow or to make proper decisions. Pre- planning in our life plays very important role in every aspect of life, to work in a proper flow, and pre-planning for career, which we want to pursue in our future ahead after acquiring certain level of degree is also very necessary in today’s competitive world.
According to the Thorndike dictionary
“A goal that you desire to achieve in a selected field or occupation with a well-thought out plan, to get you there is called Career Planning.”
The world is now moving very fast, and the time has come when this meritocratic society accepts only those, having right qualification and right skills. Olden days are gone, when just a degree would help an individual to get high profile job by giving bribe or using some other mean. Now it’s high time, when the transparency in job recruitment has taken place.
Challenges and competition are the part of today’s society, and therefore, Career Planning is the only task, which can guide us to do what we want to do in our life, rather than just aimlessly changing job all the time in future.
We have seen many Pakistani, who after completing Intermediate don’t know where to go, what to do and we have also seen graduates, who aimlessly do graduation without any specialization. As a result, they earns just in 6-8 figures.
Career Planning is one of the broader aspects of learning in our existence. We all have some intentions and we all think to have stability in our future lives, and for that purpose, CAREER PLANNING serves as a key to success.
Career Planning makes a person to think suitably about their positive and negative aspects. All about their interest, about their creativity becomes possible through proper analyzing ourselves.
Career Planning basically starts, when a person finishes Secondary/ Higher Secondary level of education. After that level, a person could opt for that educational degree, which would help them out to have a good job opportunity according to their skills at the right time.
Career Planning helps us to design and formulate our future smoothly. Like, If a person wants to be a banker, then he or she would choose to go for ACCA or CA or MBA in finance after completing Intermediate in commerce and Graduation in commerce/ business administration.. Else he/ she would go for CAT course or Masters in Commerce or even upto doctorate level.
This pre-planning would be effective and would give him/her benefits after achieving educational targets effectively. It also helps us to evaluate our own personality, which helps us to know that which kind of job would suit us according to our need and capabilities.
In short, Career Planning is like mapping our future.
Without proper planning, no one could think of getting a desired job in future.
Think what we want to do and finding out more about the kind of training, education, and skills we will need to achieve our career goal is the core objective of career planning. It help us knowing the nature of the jobs that interest us, such as educational requirements, salary, working conditions, fringe benefits, promotion chances, future prospectus, and help us focusing in the right dimension.
Career planning directs us, motivates us, and helps us to accomplish what we want. A career goal is a specific vision such as an architect or a teacher or a career goal can be a particular field, which we want to work in, such as Media, Education, Medicine, Engineering etc.
For those who will think about their future and career after completing education without any long term desired goals are the one, whose all attempt might end in smoke. There are some cases and situation, which bound a person to pre-plan in advance, such like family high family business status, lack of interest in studies or traditional job, low motivation, low financial status etc or some past educational traumas, which had made a person to plan after wards.
Career planning is a life time process we are always learning and growing, and as we do, our interests and needs also change. Career planning is not just making plans to obtain our career, but it also help us to make many adjustments there will be along the ways we learn throughout our lives.
Those who have successful careers like educators, business man, manager, pilot, architect, banker, doctor etc are the one, who has made their ways through proper guidance.
No doubt, that our parents have some wishes and expectations from us, but we have our own too. Therefore, we should also consider others opinion. For that we could take guidance from an educational counselor to get better guidance towards new dimensional fields as well. Teacher, professionals, career guidance websites, Head educational consultants can also guide us, to have a better approach for our future.
We must have freedom of speaking and freedom of choosing our career as we have to lead our lives which interest us. We must try to have an open mind in order to choose the right career on right time.
According to one renowned professor,
“Few of us like to opt for those degree courses, which their family or friend has advised them to adopt and this inappropriate knowledge trapped them into a great mistake and In this way, they are unable to get good job opportunities according to their interests. Only Proper Career Guidance would help an individual to be on the right path before hand. Few of us try to seek the right path and take guidance from family or teacher to tell them what is good for them, which career is in demand and which career suits their interest.”
The future is un-predictable, however, we could still make our place in this meritocratic world by making career goals and plans in advance, for getting better opportunities in todays pluralistic and globalize world. We must pre-plan our goals under the supervision of professionals in conscious state of mind, so that we could strategically maintain our goals and follow it towards the path of successful future.
Munir Moosa Sewani is one of the famous, prominent and creative name in the field of Education since 8 years. He is a Master Trainer In Special Education, Post Graduate, Teacher Educator and a Teacher. He is a Freelance Writer and Photographer too. He is an author of the famous self-published storybook for children named as "The MORAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN" and has also written Biology course book for Secondary Classes. He has written almost more than 20 articles on social, health, educational and cultural issues, which are internationally recognized and published in most of the famous world wide websites, magazines and newspapers. He is also a Social worker, private tutor, career counselor, musician, lyrics writer and have multi- dimensional talents. His future plan is to write dozens of informative books and articles and to work for education and media also, in order to develop the sense of understanding many dimensions of life through his creativity
According to the Thorndike dictionary
“A goal that you desire to achieve in a selected field or occupation with a well-thought out plan, to get you there is called Career Planning.”
The world is now moving very fast, and the time has come when this meritocratic society accepts only those, having right qualification and right skills. Olden days are gone, when just a degree would help an individual to get high profile job by giving bribe or using some other mean. Now it’s high time, when the transparency in job recruitment has taken place.
Challenges and competition are the part of today’s society, and therefore, Career Planning is the only task, which can guide us to do what we want to do in our life, rather than just aimlessly changing job all the time in future.
We have seen many Pakistani, who after completing Intermediate don’t know where to go, what to do and we have also seen graduates, who aimlessly do graduation without any specialization. As a result, they earns just in 6-8 figures.
Career Planning is one of the broader aspects of learning in our existence. We all have some intentions and we all think to have stability in our future lives, and for that purpose, CAREER PLANNING serves as a key to success.
Career Planning makes a person to think suitably about their positive and negative aspects. All about their interest, about their creativity becomes possible through proper analyzing ourselves.
Career Planning basically starts, when a person finishes Secondary/ Higher Secondary level of education. After that level, a person could opt for that educational degree, which would help them out to have a good job opportunity according to their skills at the right time.
Career Planning helps us to design and formulate our future smoothly. Like, If a person wants to be a banker, then he or she would choose to go for ACCA or CA or MBA in finance after completing Intermediate in commerce and Graduation in commerce/ business administration.. Else he/ she would go for CAT course or Masters in Commerce or even upto doctorate level.
This pre-planning would be effective and would give him/her benefits after achieving educational targets effectively. It also helps us to evaluate our own personality, which helps us to know that which kind of job would suit us according to our need and capabilities.
In short, Career Planning is like mapping our future.
Without proper planning, no one could think of getting a desired job in future.
Think what we want to do and finding out more about the kind of training, education, and skills we will need to achieve our career goal is the core objective of career planning. It help us knowing the nature of the jobs that interest us, such as educational requirements, salary, working conditions, fringe benefits, promotion chances, future prospectus, and help us focusing in the right dimension.
Career planning directs us, motivates us, and helps us to accomplish what we want. A career goal is a specific vision such as an architect or a teacher or a career goal can be a particular field, which we want to work in, such as Media, Education, Medicine, Engineering etc.
For those who will think about their future and career after completing education without any long term desired goals are the one, whose all attempt might end in smoke. There are some cases and situation, which bound a person to pre-plan in advance, such like family high family business status, lack of interest in studies or traditional job, low motivation, low financial status etc or some past educational traumas, which had made a person to plan after wards.
Career planning is a life time process we are always learning and growing, and as we do, our interests and needs also change. Career planning is not just making plans to obtain our career, but it also help us to make many adjustments there will be along the ways we learn throughout our lives.
Those who have successful careers like educators, business man, manager, pilot, architect, banker, doctor etc are the one, who has made their ways through proper guidance.
No doubt, that our parents have some wishes and expectations from us, but we have our own too. Therefore, we should also consider others opinion. For that we could take guidance from an educational counselor to get better guidance towards new dimensional fields as well. Teacher, professionals, career guidance websites, Head educational consultants can also guide us, to have a better approach for our future.
We must have freedom of speaking and freedom of choosing our career as we have to lead our lives which interest us. We must try to have an open mind in order to choose the right career on right time.
According to one renowned professor,
“Few of us like to opt for those degree courses, which their family or friend has advised them to adopt and this inappropriate knowledge trapped them into a great mistake and In this way, they are unable to get good job opportunities according to their interests. Only Proper Career Guidance would help an individual to be on the right path before hand. Few of us try to seek the right path and take guidance from family or teacher to tell them what is good for them, which career is in demand and which career suits their interest.”
The future is un-predictable, however, we could still make our place in this meritocratic world by making career goals and plans in advance, for getting better opportunities in todays pluralistic and globalize world. We must pre-plan our goals under the supervision of professionals in conscious state of mind, so that we could strategically maintain our goals and follow it towards the path of successful future.
Munir Moosa Sewani is one of the famous, prominent and creative name in the field of Education since 8 years. He is a Master Trainer In Special Education, Post Graduate, Teacher Educator and a Teacher. He is a Freelance Writer and Photographer too. He is an author of the famous self-published storybook for children named as "The MORAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN" and has also written Biology course book for Secondary Classes. He has written almost more than 20 articles on social, health, educational and cultural issues, which are internationally recognized and published in most of the famous world wide websites, magazines and newspapers. He is also a Social worker, private tutor, career counselor, musician, lyrics writer and have multi- dimensional talents. His future plan is to write dozens of informative books and articles and to work for education and media also, in order to develop the sense of understanding many dimensions of life through his creativity
Online Education For A Nursing Degree
You can earn your registered nursing degree online and you can get there faster and with ease. There are a lot of alternatives so when you search for a master’s in nursing online degree, you will learn that finding the right one can be overwhelming. Some institutions with master’s in nursing online degrees also offer programs for those who want to pursue a career in nursing administration. Even programs in nursing education are offered.
The online degrees are popular because the number of people who would like to return to college, but who do not have the time. So colleges have decided to take advantage of the internet and offer classes as well as degree programs.
To earn an advanced nursing degree has many advantages, and earning it online can have often more. All educational choices have pros and cons, but the advantages of an online nursing master’s degree allow you to continue your education, and your life, with fewer interruptions than may occur through a traditional learning setting. Most think that the advantages of earning a degree in nursing online are many and can help you reach your career goals and enter a rapidly growing industry.
To continue your education gives you more opportunities so if you are considering the method of moving from one level of degree to the next, online education allows you to do just that. You have to understand what is required for a nursing education. As all education, a nursing education also requires time, effort, enthusiasm and self-motivation. As a successful graduate from an MSN-MBA program you will enjoy many benefits of that education and advantages that emphasize just that.
For highly motivated students there is an option that is growing in popularity, the accelerated bachelor nursing degree. The student should understand that getting an accelerated nursing degree is not for everyone, it requires extremely long hours and dedication to achieve.
The industry is changing and by offering career choices in the form of more educational opportunities and options you can choose the steps you want to take at the time. There is no doubt that nursing is an excellent career choice. You can find programs that are for those who are looking into nursing to see if it is the right career choice for them. If you decide to take a master degree, that will equip you with the education and credentials to qualify for a larger number of career opportunities in the health care industry.
Why should a student consider earning an online nursing degree? Except from individual values and criteria, the whole industry has a continuing increase in demand and cannot keep up with the demand. And as said before, the online degrees can be earned in less time, at less of a cost and get your career started faster
FAFSA Education Loans - Insider's Secrets To Education Loans
So, you are going to college or another institute of higher learning? If you are smart, you have already done your FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. There are some sources of aid, such as grants and scholarships, which are a limited resource and the early birds are going to have first bite at those particular worms. The FAFSA is the key to these and the loans which are available under the Federal Government's programs.
Many of the Federal student loans from the FAFSA or are funded by private companies, such as Sallie Mae (not a government organization at all as many think), Wells Fargo, College Loan Corporation, etc. These are lenders under the FFEL or Federal Family Education Loan program.
Many of you will have no choice as to who your lender is. Your school may work with the Federal Government's DIRECT program which means the loan is directly from the government. There is no confusion in that case, however you may miss out on some of the bonuses that the private companies working with the FFEL program offer, such as discounted interest rates.
Others will find that their school has a "preferred lender", and you have no choice in who their student lender is. This may be for the school's benefit, as their process is streamlined, or maybe there was an incentive from the lender for the school using only that company.
The rest of you are going to be bombarded with choices. In most cases you will end up phoning the numbers in the mailers and speaking to a student loan officer.
I used to work for one of the bigger student loan companies. When you try to get a FAFSA based loan for college and university, you will be pitched in a very particular way.
I am going to let you in on how they sell these loans to you.
The education loan consolidation and Plus / Stafford loan pitches that you will find at the consumer resource FAFSA Loan will let you be prepared to deal on equal terms with the education financial aid industry.
There is nothing underhanded, but you do want to be prepared so that you make the decision which is best for you, not for the student loan officer. These people are paid on a commission basis.
PLUS Loans and Stafford Loans
On the PLUS Loan and Stafford Loan Script page you will find an explanation of the pitch I used for Federal education loans for when the student was still at school. Two of the things that were drummed into us was to convey a sense of urgency, and also that this was a FEDERAL GOVERNMENT program. We weren't told to make anyone think that we were the government, but if they did, it certainly couldn't hurt.
Note that Stafford loans are sometimes referred to as an unsubsidized student loan or a subsidized student loan.
Consolidation Loans
Once you have finished school you may want to consolidate your student loans. At this point you may have the opportunity to contact the lending companies again. And don't worry, they will be contacting you, too!
Many of the Federal student loans from the FAFSA or are funded by private companies, such as Sallie Mae (not a government organization at all as many think), Wells Fargo, College Loan Corporation, etc. These are lenders under the FFEL or Federal Family Education Loan program.
Many of you will have no choice as to who your lender is. Your school may work with the Federal Government's DIRECT program which means the loan is directly from the government. There is no confusion in that case, however you may miss out on some of the bonuses that the private companies working with the FFEL program offer, such as discounted interest rates.
Others will find that their school has a "preferred lender", and you have no choice in who their student lender is. This may be for the school's benefit, as their process is streamlined, or maybe there was an incentive from the lender for the school using only that company.
The rest of you are going to be bombarded with choices. In most cases you will end up phoning the numbers in the mailers and speaking to a student loan officer.
I used to work for one of the bigger student loan companies. When you try to get a FAFSA based loan for college and university, you will be pitched in a very particular way.
I am going to let you in on how they sell these loans to you.
The education loan consolidation and Plus / Stafford loan pitches that you will find at the consumer resource FAFSA Loan will let you be prepared to deal on equal terms with the education financial aid industry.
There is nothing underhanded, but you do want to be prepared so that you make the decision which is best for you, not for the student loan officer. These people are paid on a commission basis.
PLUS Loans and Stafford Loans
On the PLUS Loan and Stafford Loan Script page you will find an explanation of the pitch I used for Federal education loans for when the student was still at school. Two of the things that were drummed into us was to convey a sense of urgency, and also that this was a FEDERAL GOVERNMENT program. We weren't told to make anyone think that we were the government, but if they did, it certainly couldn't hurt.
Note that Stafford loans are sometimes referred to as an unsubsidized student loan or a subsidized student loan.
Consolidation Loans
Once you have finished school you may want to consolidate your student loans. At this point you may have the opportunity to contact the lending companies again. And don't worry, they will be contacting you, too!
Achieve Higher Learning By Continuing Your Education Online
What is continuing education, and why should one seek it?
Continuing Education is the process of acquiring higher learning to advance ones career, job status, or college degree status.
The busy life of the working adult, which likely includes balancing a family and a job, makes it difficult to attend daily classes requiring traditional lectures or lab hours. The courses in an online continuing education program allows the working student to keep their busy schedule together, and not have to worry about other schedules that may clash.
Whether you need to finish your GED, or work towards acquiring your BA or Masters degree, continuing your education online from home makes perfect sense. In recent years, the number of colleges and universities offering online continuing education programs has exploded, making the availability of accredited and reputable continuing education programs quite plentiful. In some cases, students are able to design their own degree program. Mostly, it is the cost of the program that attracts many. With no housing costs/meal programs to worry about, online continuing education programs are much less costly than a traditional college curriculum.
Continuing your education online means the door to continuing your education is only one internet connection away! This does away with the expenses of travel time and/or relocation on the part of the student and means continuing education classes can be attended wherever there is an internet connection. This can also be of benefit to those who are not comfortable in a classroom setting, those who require extra time due to language challenges or even those who require a faster pace than can be offered in a traditional daily curriculum.
Many online continuing education programs having no set times for their courses. This allows the student the benefit of flexibility, attending classes in the hours available to them and completing assignments at their own pace. It is very helpful, for the adult who has not been in an educational program for some time, to be able to control the learning environment. Working when there is time, and where they are comfortable on the assignments they have time for, is a very attractive option for the student who is balancing a career as well as family life.
For those searching for ways of continuing their education, but have time... money... or family commitments, you should strongly consider the online continuing education programs available.
Online Education, The Advantages and Disadvantages
Ensure you do the Groundwork before Making a Decision
There has been a huge increase in online schools and colleges across the United Kingdom, North America and the United States in the past couple of years, which shows that there is an increasing popularity of online education and learning. However, jumping into online education without doing the groundwork can be dangerous, as educational needs of students do vary quite a lot depending on their levels of intelligence and social and economic status. Therefore, the student's parents and tutors must ensure that the students weigh all the pros and cons of an online education and prompt them to decide the best course of action. The aim of this article is to educate the student's on some of the more major advantages and disadvantages of an online education.
The Advantages of an Online Education
Accessibility: The Distance from a university campus is no longer a barrier in the education of students. Today's generation have the advantage of utilizing time effectively, since there are numerous choices in distant online education for them. For the student to access online education, all he or she needs is a personal computer with internet access with which he or she can find the desired courses online and enrol. The online education systems ensure that the student's put all their energies into studies.
A Flexible schedule: The good thing about an online education is its effective use of time. As a student of online education, you have the ability to maintain a flexible schedule, which is of particular help when you are working simultaneously.
Student-Centred Learning: As a student of online learning, it is you who dictates your learning experience. As your tutor will not be teaching you all of the time, you can prioritize your schedule and complete any and all assignments accordingly. You will also be given the choice of which learning methodology you wish to use, such as audio, visual, or oral components. Fair Playing Field: Online education is in vogue also as it provides a level playing field for all the students. Learning online provides a situation where decision-making is not based on the candidates' gender, ethnicity, physical appearance, or race. Instead, the evaluation is only based on your performance. The provision of this fair-playing field has significantly contributed to the popularity of online education.
Disadvantages
Employment: Not many industries will acknowledge an online professional degree.
Oral Communication: Since, the majority of online learning systems encourage communication through e-mails and text chatting only, the student's may be deprived of the ability to improve their oral communication skills.
Fraud: A large number of online courses are not accredited and hence are not valid.
Courses: Not all of the courses which are available elsewhere are available online.
Moreover, online learning requires a complete dedication and patience from the students to ensure they achieve superb results. It is most advisable that the students first, patiently and persistently familiarize themselves with online learning technology. Additionally, they need to always keep themselves abreast of the latest updates within the online education system, since there will be no instructor to turn to in this respect.
There has been a huge increase in online schools and colleges across the United Kingdom, North America and the United States in the past couple of years, which shows that there is an increasing popularity of online education and learning. However, jumping into online education without doing the groundwork can be dangerous, as educational needs of students do vary quite a lot depending on their levels of intelligence and social and economic status. Therefore, the student's parents and tutors must ensure that the students weigh all the pros and cons of an online education and prompt them to decide the best course of action. The aim of this article is to educate the student's on some of the more major advantages and disadvantages of an online education.
The Advantages of an Online Education
Accessibility: The Distance from a university campus is no longer a barrier in the education of students. Today's generation have the advantage of utilizing time effectively, since there are numerous choices in distant online education for them. For the student to access online education, all he or she needs is a personal computer with internet access with which he or she can find the desired courses online and enrol. The online education systems ensure that the student's put all their energies into studies.
A Flexible schedule: The good thing about an online education is its effective use of time. As a student of online education, you have the ability to maintain a flexible schedule, which is of particular help when you are working simultaneously.
Student-Centred Learning: As a student of online learning, it is you who dictates your learning experience. As your tutor will not be teaching you all of the time, you can prioritize your schedule and complete any and all assignments accordingly. You will also be given the choice of which learning methodology you wish to use, such as audio, visual, or oral components. Fair Playing Field: Online education is in vogue also as it provides a level playing field for all the students. Learning online provides a situation where decision-making is not based on the candidates' gender, ethnicity, physical appearance, or race. Instead, the evaluation is only based on your performance. The provision of this fair-playing field has significantly contributed to the popularity of online education.
Disadvantages
Employment: Not many industries will acknowledge an online professional degree.
Oral Communication: Since, the majority of online learning systems encourage communication through e-mails and text chatting only, the student's may be deprived of the ability to improve their oral communication skills.
Fraud: A large number of online courses are not accredited and hence are not valid.
Courses: Not all of the courses which are available elsewhere are available online.
Moreover, online learning requires a complete dedication and patience from the students to ensure they achieve superb results. It is most advisable that the students first, patiently and persistently familiarize themselves with online learning technology. Additionally, they need to always keep themselves abreast of the latest updates within the online education system, since there will be no instructor to turn to in this respect.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Massage Therapy Schools in New Jersey
If you are interested in becoming a massage therapist, you will find a large number of quality massage therapy schools in New Jersey. These educational institutions can provide you with the solid education that prepares you with the professional tools needed to meet state standards and requirements for certification as a massage therapist.
Massage therapy has long been recognized as a form of complementary medicine that promotes healing from injury and illness. Massage therapy schools will train you in those skills, as well as provide you with the methods and techniques that can soothe and relax your clients, and promote general health. You can get all the knowledge and skills you need to do all of that in one of the many good New Jersey massage therapy schools.
Upon enrollment in a massage school, you will be required to satisfy a minimum number of hours of educational preparation. A thorough massage education will include extensive hands-on training in massage techniques gained under the supervision of trained instructors. Educational programs will provide essential skills that will allow you to pursue certification and to gain opportunities to build a professional massage therapy career.
In 1999, the Board of Nursing in the state of New Jersey adopted and put forward a long list of regulations that positively affect students in massage therapy schools. These rules and regulations protect not only students, but protect practicing massage therapists and their clients, as well.
A career in Natural Healing can be very rewarding, and your studies may lead you to specialize in any number of areas, such as Acupuncture or Chiropractics, among others
Massage therapy has long been recognized as a form of complementary medicine that promotes healing from injury and illness. Massage therapy schools will train you in those skills, as well as provide you with the methods and techniques that can soothe and relax your clients, and promote general health. You can get all the knowledge and skills you need to do all of that in one of the many good New Jersey massage therapy schools.
Upon enrollment in a massage school, you will be required to satisfy a minimum number of hours of educational preparation. A thorough massage education will include extensive hands-on training in massage techniques gained under the supervision of trained instructors. Educational programs will provide essential skills that will allow you to pursue certification and to gain opportunities to build a professional massage therapy career.
In 1999, the Board of Nursing in the state of New Jersey adopted and put forward a long list of regulations that positively affect students in massage therapy schools. These rules and regulations protect not only students, but protect practicing massage therapists and their clients, as well.
A career in Natural Healing can be very rewarding, and your studies may lead you to specialize in any number of areas, such as Acupuncture or Chiropractics, among others
College Health Insurance
College is a big part of life, and when joining there are certain risk you will have to take some of these involves getting all sorts of insurance and loans:
Being a college student can be an utter blast. You get to choose when you want your classes; you get to decide whether or not you want to attend class on any given day; you even get to live without the parents.
Now, does this sound pretty choice or what? Let's face it, most of us are stoked to get out from underneath mom and dad's thumb. Finally we get to make the rules and set the curfews. No more lectures about when to be home and where to go out. It's freedom at last.
Well, this is part of the college experience. However, have you considered or dealt with the other parts yet? They mostly consist of loads of homework, paying for a dorm room or apartment, and trying to scrounge up enough cash for books and groceries.
Uh yeah, you could call this the down side of University life. Then of course there is college health insurance. Do you have any?
What is the scoop regarding health insurance? When I was in school just a couple years ago, it seemed like many students weren't acquainted with insurance. This is bizarre if you ask me.
How can you go through an entire college career without insurance? This is not practical. Let me tell you why. For one, you may get hurt. Now, I'm not exactly taking about gunned down in the street kind of hurt, but more like a broken arm kind of hurt. What do you think this will cost you without health insurance?
Let me tell you that the trip to the emergency room, along with your other bills for getting bandaged up will break your piggy bank. This is where insurance comes into play. You may not have already known it, but health insurance come as part of your tuition in many cases. If you are a full time student at a reputable University, then you should certainly have the option for insurance. I know I did. In fact, they took the payment each quarter directly out of my financial aid.
It was not expensive to say the least, but yet offered decent coverage. Take advantage of this while you can! It won't be so inexpensive when you hit the "real world." For more information concerning college health insurance, just hop online
Being a college student can be an utter blast. You get to choose when you want your classes; you get to decide whether or not you want to attend class on any given day; you even get to live without the parents.
Now, does this sound pretty choice or what? Let's face it, most of us are stoked to get out from underneath mom and dad's thumb. Finally we get to make the rules and set the curfews. No more lectures about when to be home and where to go out. It's freedom at last.
Well, this is part of the college experience. However, have you considered or dealt with the other parts yet? They mostly consist of loads of homework, paying for a dorm room or apartment, and trying to scrounge up enough cash for books and groceries.
Uh yeah, you could call this the down side of University life. Then of course there is college health insurance. Do you have any?
What is the scoop regarding health insurance? When I was in school just a couple years ago, it seemed like many students weren't acquainted with insurance. This is bizarre if you ask me.
How can you go through an entire college career without insurance? This is not practical. Let me tell you why. For one, you may get hurt. Now, I'm not exactly taking about gunned down in the street kind of hurt, but more like a broken arm kind of hurt. What do you think this will cost you without health insurance?
Let me tell you that the trip to the emergency room, along with your other bills for getting bandaged up will break your piggy bank. This is where insurance comes into play. You may not have already known it, but health insurance come as part of your tuition in many cases. If you are a full time student at a reputable University, then you should certainly have the option for insurance. I know I did. In fact, they took the payment each quarter directly out of my financial aid.
It was not expensive to say the least, but yet offered decent coverage. Take advantage of this while you can! It won't be so inexpensive when you hit the "real world." For more information concerning college health insurance, just hop online
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Math is Hard - But Then Again So is Life
When I contemplate the title of this article, I enter a reverie which catapults me back twenty-five years to my college days. Back then, I learned how hard mathematics was. Often I felt inferior to tackle such a difficult subject with my limited brain capacity. Little did I know then that in retrospect I would come to understand that indeed math is hard, but that life too is just as challenging.
Life in many respects can be compared to a series of mathematical problems. Each day we must face challenges and problems--some of which are solvable and some which are not currently within our realm of solvability. Just as the mathematician who struggles with the unsolved mathematical problem, we too struggle with our unsolved personal problems. We look hard for solutions and get frustrated when we find none. If we are persistent, we try other approaches. Sometimes we attack a problem doggedly, looking to knock it off our list of woes. Sometimes a stroke of good fortune, or a sudden burst of intuition lead to the solution of one of our vexing problems. Many times, however, certain problems--like Ferrmat's Last Theorem and the Poincare Conjecture, in mathematics--remain unsolved for a long time or are still pending a solution. How frustrating!
One of the beauties of mathematics is that it teaches us how to be good problem solvers. Unfortunately, many of us never get to peak into the strange and exotic--yet frustrating--world of higher mathematics. To experience the enervating, exasperating and humbling feeling that comes from trying to plumb the depths of this most amazing subject we call mathematics, is to transcend the limits of human capability and fortify oneself against the buffets of life.
Yes math is hard, but the benefits of studying it are well worth it.
Life in many respects can be compared to a series of mathematical problems. Each day we must face challenges and problems--some of which are solvable and some which are not currently within our realm of solvability. Just as the mathematician who struggles with the unsolved mathematical problem, we too struggle with our unsolved personal problems. We look hard for solutions and get frustrated when we find none. If we are persistent, we try other approaches. Sometimes we attack a problem doggedly, looking to knock it off our list of woes. Sometimes a stroke of good fortune, or a sudden burst of intuition lead to the solution of one of our vexing problems. Many times, however, certain problems--like Ferrmat's Last Theorem and the Poincare Conjecture, in mathematics--remain unsolved for a long time or are still pending a solution. How frustrating!
One of the beauties of mathematics is that it teaches us how to be good problem solvers. Unfortunately, many of us never get to peak into the strange and exotic--yet frustrating--world of higher mathematics. To experience the enervating, exasperating and humbling feeling that comes from trying to plumb the depths of this most amazing subject we call mathematics, is to transcend the limits of human capability and fortify oneself against the buffets of life.
Yes math is hard, but the benefits of studying it are well worth it.
Adult Learning Disabilities
You have to deal with a number of issues if you have a learning disability, even if that disability was diagnosed in the childhood. The issues will be different and many more in adulthood than they were in your childhood years. Hence you will have to find new ways to cope with these challenges and issues posed by the learning disability.
Most children plan on marrying, having children, and being a productive member of their society. If you have a learning disability, you will have to incorporate it into your life-plan. You will need to learn ways of handling the milestones in your life and still deal with your disability. You can lead a successful life with a little by taking some small steps.
Learning disabilities come in many forms, but usually affect how a person thinks, talks, hears, reads and writes. These problems impact how you process thoughts and perform tasks such as mathematics. Since we use these skills everyday, you will have to find ways of coping with daily tasks.
It can be extremely difficult to be an adult with a learning disability. Other adults expect you to have the same skill sets that they do and may become angry and frustrated when they have to repeatedly explain something to you. They don't realize that you need extra time to make sense of certain things. You may even drop out of classes you're taking because others don't understand your needs. Doing this will most likely jeopardize your career plans.
You need to find the balance between having a disability and changing your goals. You do need to know your limitations but at the same time there is no reason for you not to live a full and happy life. You should be able to enjoy relationships and being a parent, even with your learning disability.
Being a parent with learning disability can be tough and stressing. To reduce the stress of being a disability parent, you can do a number of things like take care of your time and manage it properly.
One of the many tricks that you can implement so that you don't forget important family information is to have a calendar prominently displayed in the kitchen or other room in your home. Keep track of dates and times when you and your children need to be somewhere. This way you have a constant visual reminder to refer to so that you don't miss appointments and pick up times.
Keep your home as organized as possible so that when you need to find something it will be in a permanent location inside your home. This ensures that you don't spend unnecessary time searching for something that you need since this can often lead to your frustration and anger.
Remember that it is very important to remain calm and patient even when things are not going the way you may want them to. Everyone, even those who don't have a learning disability will have moments that are frustrating and trying. Do not blame everything that goes wrong on your learning disability.
Most children plan on marrying, having children, and being a productive member of their society. If you have a learning disability, you will have to incorporate it into your life-plan. You will need to learn ways of handling the milestones in your life and still deal with your disability. You can lead a successful life with a little by taking some small steps.
Learning disabilities come in many forms, but usually affect how a person thinks, talks, hears, reads and writes. These problems impact how you process thoughts and perform tasks such as mathematics. Since we use these skills everyday, you will have to find ways of coping with daily tasks.
It can be extremely difficult to be an adult with a learning disability. Other adults expect you to have the same skill sets that they do and may become angry and frustrated when they have to repeatedly explain something to you. They don't realize that you need extra time to make sense of certain things. You may even drop out of classes you're taking because others don't understand your needs. Doing this will most likely jeopardize your career plans.
You need to find the balance between having a disability and changing your goals. You do need to know your limitations but at the same time there is no reason for you not to live a full and happy life. You should be able to enjoy relationships and being a parent, even with your learning disability.
Being a parent with learning disability can be tough and stressing. To reduce the stress of being a disability parent, you can do a number of things like take care of your time and manage it properly.
One of the many tricks that you can implement so that you don't forget important family information is to have a calendar prominently displayed in the kitchen or other room in your home. Keep track of dates and times when you and your children need to be somewhere. This way you have a constant visual reminder to refer to so that you don't miss appointments and pick up times.
Keep your home as organized as possible so that when you need to find something it will be in a permanent location inside your home. This ensures that you don't spend unnecessary time searching for something that you need since this can often lead to your frustration and anger.
Remember that it is very important to remain calm and patient even when things are not going the way you may want them to. Everyone, even those who don't have a learning disability will have moments that are frustrating and trying. Do not blame everything that goes wrong on your learning disability.
Why Study Math
Mathematics has a way of taking us by the hand and not just leading us down the path of reason, as Pythagoras once said, but sometimes down the path of insanity. With all the beautiful truths that math can show us, there are also inherent contradictions of nature that this field forces upon our senses. Such seeming impossibilities are found within the world of fractals, those weird yet curious geometric objects that have caused us to look at nature in a whole new way. From the surface of a mountain to the head of a broccoli, fractals are being used to explain things that we normally take for granted.
Fractal comes from the Latin word for broken and was coined by the mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975. The reason for the name is that fractals when viewed closely are self-similar; that is if we break off a part of the fractal, we essentially have the same shape, albeit a smaller piece. Fractals are generated by a procedure called recursion in mathematics. In lay terms, this means that we start a process according to a specific rule and then let this process continue forever. To understand what this means, let's take a specific example which will also generate a very famous fractal called the Koch Snowflake, so named after a Swedish mathematician. This fractal demonstrates the insane and curious world of fractal geometry.
To generate the Koch Snowflake, we start with an equilateral triangle. Now along each side, we construct another equilateral triangle starting a third of the way from each vertex. To make this easier to visualize (see here Koch Snowflake) take an equilateral triangle of side length 1. Then on each side length, we omit the middle 1/3 of the segment and construct another equilateral triangle, the sides of which are all length 1/3, starting from the ends of the deleted portion. This completed, we have the second step or iteration of the Koch Snowflake. We then do this again, only now we have more sides to work with. Proceeding this way, we end up with successive iterations of the Koch Snowflake. Notice that if we were to circle any region of this curious shape, we would have a self-replicating pattern, and the seed from which the curve could continue to grow.
Now where the insanity comes in is that this particular fractal illustrates the bizarre reality of a geometric shape which has an infinite perimeter, yet finite area! How strange indeed this world of fractals is. Moreover, fractals illustrate the concept of non-integral dimension. That is, once we enter this phantasmagorical world, ordinary dimensions like 1, 2, and 3 (our world is three-dimensional--4 if we think like Einstein did in terms of space-time) are no longer appropriate as we can find fractals with dimensions like 1.3. In fact, the Koch Snowflake has dimension 1.26!
Tres outre, this world of fractals. So why bother with them? Well, according to Benoit Mandelbrot, the mathematician who coined the term fractal, most of the shapes in nature have bizarre non-integral dimensions like those typified by these weird fractals. And since nature is all around us, it might behoove us to consider the ramifications of these insane dimensions. Think about this next time you munch that head of broccoli.
Fractal comes from the Latin word for broken and was coined by the mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975. The reason for the name is that fractals when viewed closely are self-similar; that is if we break off a part of the fractal, we essentially have the same shape, albeit a smaller piece. Fractals are generated by a procedure called recursion in mathematics. In lay terms, this means that we start a process according to a specific rule and then let this process continue forever. To understand what this means, let's take a specific example which will also generate a very famous fractal called the Koch Snowflake, so named after a Swedish mathematician. This fractal demonstrates the insane and curious world of fractal geometry.
To generate the Koch Snowflake, we start with an equilateral triangle. Now along each side, we construct another equilateral triangle starting a third of the way from each vertex. To make this easier to visualize (see here Koch Snowflake) take an equilateral triangle of side length 1. Then on each side length, we omit the middle 1/3 of the segment and construct another equilateral triangle, the sides of which are all length 1/3, starting from the ends of the deleted portion. This completed, we have the second step or iteration of the Koch Snowflake. We then do this again, only now we have more sides to work with. Proceeding this way, we end up with successive iterations of the Koch Snowflake. Notice that if we were to circle any region of this curious shape, we would have a self-replicating pattern, and the seed from which the curve could continue to grow.
Now where the insanity comes in is that this particular fractal illustrates the bizarre reality of a geometric shape which has an infinite perimeter, yet finite area! How strange indeed this world of fractals is. Moreover, fractals illustrate the concept of non-integral dimension. That is, once we enter this phantasmagorical world, ordinary dimensions like 1, 2, and 3 (our world is three-dimensional--4 if we think like Einstein did in terms of space-time) are no longer appropriate as we can find fractals with dimensions like 1.3. In fact, the Koch Snowflake has dimension 1.26!
Tres outre, this world of fractals. So why bother with them? Well, according to Benoit Mandelbrot, the mathematician who coined the term fractal, most of the shapes in nature have bizarre non-integral dimensions like those typified by these weird fractals. And since nature is all around us, it might behoove us to consider the ramifications of these insane dimensions. Think about this next time you munch that head of broccoli.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Character Education in Elementary Schools and Preschool: Give Bullying a Knockout
Young children love to talk about their injuries. Band-Aids are conversation starters for kids. Luckily elbows and knees can heal pretty quickly but when a child says something mean like, "You're stupid. You're a baby", that hurts another child's feelings. Hurt feelings can take a longer time to mend and continued teasing and taunting can have long lasting consequences. My partner, Danny Jones and I are parents and national "edutainers" who have developed through music, stories and activities (preschool-5th grade) creative tools for parents and teachers to help children learn about age-old character words that relate to a family's real life experiences. To help children monitor their remarks, parents and educators can teach appropriate vocabulary and physical cues to help children label and recognize feelings. There are a lot of good books and songs about feelings. Puppets, masks and even Mr. Potato Head can teach children to match certain facial expressions with certain emotions. When a child is able to recognize the physical signs and then say they're angry, scared or frustrated, undesirable behaviors can fade. Most often in early childhood, hurtful words are said because of the lack of vocabulary to describe a feeling. Young children can be taught tolerance and respect of individual's differences. These young minds are eager to learn that people come in all sizes, shapes and colors. People might express themselves through different languages-perhaps they even speak with their hands or read with their fingers. As children mature, if this message isn't reinforced, they can become cliquish with their own set of priorities. Starting in elementary school, bullying and teasing are hot topics. Most occurrences happen away from adult supervision so that the victim feels powerless. As parents and educators, we need to teach our children the difference between tattling and asking for help. We also need to encourage them to find their voice to stand up for themselves and others when bullying occurs. A fifth grader came to me complaining that the "in girls" were teasing her about her choice of clothes. Just like studying for a test, practicing skills for a sport or rehearsing lines for an audition, we all feel more comfortable when we are prepared. Together we explored through role play, different strategies to handle the hurtful remarks. She chose to deflect the insults with humor. When the girls started to tease her again, she was able to use her preplanned strategy and "punch line". She gave bullying a "knockout". By asking for help and thinking ahead, she was able find her voice
A Guide To The Importance of Physical Education Programs
Physical activity offers a broad range of benefits, including the prevention of obesity, improved self confidence, and an overall sense of well-being. Physical education programs within the school setting can set the stage for how children view physical fitness, activity levels, and future health. Physical education programs also include general health and safety information in addition to providing opportunities for students to learn how to cooperate with one another in a team setting.
A Lifetime of Health The school setting provides a structured atmosphere in which to incorporate physical health activities and ideally develop healthy habits for life. Studies indicate that promotion of a healthy lifestyle taught in physical education classes can influence long-term health benefits such as reduced rates of obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Perhaps just as importantly, physical education programs can teach students that physical activity can be fun. With a broad range of games and activities, children are exposed to forms of exercise that don't simply involve running around a track. Games and other activities incorporate teamwork, strategy, skill-building exercises, and fun.
Nutritional Information Physical education classes are ideal for introducing basic nutritional concepts to children. Poor eating habits are common among many children and adolescents; however, a solid foundation in healthy eating choices can help lay the groundwork for improved food choices. Children who eat regular, healthy meals consisting of a wide range of food choices concentrate better in school and are less disruptive. Healthy eating also decreases the chances of children developing serious health problems early in life and reduces obesity rates among youth and into adulthood.
Life Skills Physical education also provides an opportunity for children to develop critical life skills, such as problem solving, strategy, and working together. Many team sports require participants to work together to achieve a goal. Children also learn the basics of good sportsmanship and that there is much more to sports and physical activities than simply winning or losing. Sports require training, mental and physical preparation, and help build self-confidence.
Mental Health Regular physical activity has shown to have many psychological and mental benefits in addition to the physical ones. For example, regular exercise can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety and promote an overall sense of well-being. The increased blood flow during exercise transports oxygen to all parts of the body, including the brain, which can help improve memory and reasoning skills. Conversely, a lack of oxygen, which can result from not enough deep breathing, can lead to disorientation, confusion, fatigue, and memory and concentration difficulties.
A Lifetime of Health The school setting provides a structured atmosphere in which to incorporate physical health activities and ideally develop healthy habits for life. Studies indicate that promotion of a healthy lifestyle taught in physical education classes can influence long-term health benefits such as reduced rates of obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Perhaps just as importantly, physical education programs can teach students that physical activity can be fun. With a broad range of games and activities, children are exposed to forms of exercise that don't simply involve running around a track. Games and other activities incorporate teamwork, strategy, skill-building exercises, and fun.
Nutritional Information Physical education classes are ideal for introducing basic nutritional concepts to children. Poor eating habits are common among many children and adolescents; however, a solid foundation in healthy eating choices can help lay the groundwork for improved food choices. Children who eat regular, healthy meals consisting of a wide range of food choices concentrate better in school and are less disruptive. Healthy eating also decreases the chances of children developing serious health problems early in life and reduces obesity rates among youth and into adulthood.
Life Skills Physical education also provides an opportunity for children to develop critical life skills, such as problem solving, strategy, and working together. Many team sports require participants to work together to achieve a goal. Children also learn the basics of good sportsmanship and that there is much more to sports and physical activities than simply winning or losing. Sports require training, mental and physical preparation, and help build self-confidence.
Mental Health Regular physical activity has shown to have many psychological and mental benefits in addition to the physical ones. For example, regular exercise can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety and promote an overall sense of well-being. The increased blood flow during exercise transports oxygen to all parts of the body, including the brain, which can help improve memory and reasoning skills. Conversely, a lack of oxygen, which can result from not enough deep breathing, can lead to disorientation, confusion, fatigue, and memory and concentration difficulties.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Understanding Learning: How Recent Research Supports Natural Affinities
Fielding questions from parents about the best way to "teach" young children, I often revert to research that supports integrated and emergent education models. However, parents influenced by marketing trends and imprudent education mandates are often skeptical by what they view as hackneyed analysis. How thrilling to come across leading edge research, such as David A. Sousa's, "How the Brain Learns", which presents evidence of brain development in the first five years of life and the potential this has in the area of early childhood education and beyond.
An exciting revelation of brain research is that educators get to rethink the long-standing "tabula rasa" theory. This refers to the thesis that individuals are born with no innate or built-in mental content, and that their entire resource of knowledge is built up gradually. Researchers now know that children are ready and motivated to learn, not by being fed knowledge, but by discovering the world around them. It's up to the teachers, parents and caregivers in their lives to provide the inspiration and facilitation. And instead of a mandated curriculum, it's creativity and individuation that will best ensure a student's lifelong success.
Children's curious nature and natural motivation to learn, instinctively facilitate them to walk, talk, master manipulative tasks and do numerous activities that others, from whom they learn, are doing. Educational experiences that allow students to continue learning in the ways that helped them master these important skills are far more beneficial and sustainable than standardized academic programs.
Parents can be erroneously concerned about children learning "the basics". But what is meant by the "basics?" Sometime during the last century or so, a misguided theory of what is important for all students emerged. Perhaps this model was thought to be important during the industrial age when training people for the labor market was a priority. But we now know that the world is a fast-changing, increasingly open and global society where individuals need to be confident, flexible and independent thinkers and learners. The importance of nurturing these qualities cannot be understated. We're finally beginning to understand that a child is not "behind" or "learning disabled" if certain concepts do not emerge in a specified timeline. It's the teachers and parents that are "teaching disabled" when they believe this to be true.
One of the great detriments of current educational precepts is the idea that we compartmentalize information like ABC's and language and reading in the early years, or as we mature, math and writing and geometry, etc.. This is contrary to recent findings, and challenges our notions of the way people truly learn. Academic subjects that are presented as interrelated can be synthesized in a more meaningful way, thus retained and applied appropriately and in context. According to David Whitebread, author of The Psychology of Teaching and Learning in School, "This natural and powerful way of learning is vastly inhibited when we are presented with new information or experience which does not relate to what we already know".
Brain development research is confirming that allowing children to continue learning in ways that are organic and inspiring is what true education is all about. Imposing a curriculum with disregard for personal capacity and preferences is an outdated framework in education, parenting and training in general. It's thrilling to see research support the benefit of fostering an individual's innate capabilities through a holistic, rather than pigeonholed, approach.
An exciting revelation of brain research is that educators get to rethink the long-standing "tabula rasa" theory. This refers to the thesis that individuals are born with no innate or built-in mental content, and that their entire resource of knowledge is built up gradually. Researchers now know that children are ready and motivated to learn, not by being fed knowledge, but by discovering the world around them. It's up to the teachers, parents and caregivers in their lives to provide the inspiration and facilitation. And instead of a mandated curriculum, it's creativity and individuation that will best ensure a student's lifelong success.
Children's curious nature and natural motivation to learn, instinctively facilitate them to walk, talk, master manipulative tasks and do numerous activities that others, from whom they learn, are doing. Educational experiences that allow students to continue learning in the ways that helped them master these important skills are far more beneficial and sustainable than standardized academic programs.
Parents can be erroneously concerned about children learning "the basics". But what is meant by the "basics?" Sometime during the last century or so, a misguided theory of what is important for all students emerged. Perhaps this model was thought to be important during the industrial age when training people for the labor market was a priority. But we now know that the world is a fast-changing, increasingly open and global society where individuals need to be confident, flexible and independent thinkers and learners. The importance of nurturing these qualities cannot be understated. We're finally beginning to understand that a child is not "behind" or "learning disabled" if certain concepts do not emerge in a specified timeline. It's the teachers and parents that are "teaching disabled" when they believe this to be true.
One of the great detriments of current educational precepts is the idea that we compartmentalize information like ABC's and language and reading in the early years, or as we mature, math and writing and geometry, etc.. This is contrary to recent findings, and challenges our notions of the way people truly learn. Academic subjects that are presented as interrelated can be synthesized in a more meaningful way, thus retained and applied appropriately and in context. According to David Whitebread, author of The Psychology of Teaching and Learning in School, "This natural and powerful way of learning is vastly inhibited when we are presented with new information or experience which does not relate to what we already know".
Brain development research is confirming that allowing children to continue learning in ways that are organic and inspiring is what true education is all about. Imposing a curriculum with disregard for personal capacity and preferences is an outdated framework in education, parenting and training in general. It's thrilling to see research support the benefit of fostering an individual's innate capabilities through a holistic, rather than pigeonholed, approach.
Learning: I Need To Hear Or Feel What You Want Me To Do... Causes of School Frustration
All children start out motivated, but all students get frustrated at school. All first grade children know they are going to go to school to learn to read and write and do 'rithmetic and grow up to become a fireman, astronaut, or surfer. Parents, teachers and students need to know why students get "stuck" and how to work around it all.
Everyone has areas of intellectual strengths and personal learning styles. Most people get the majority of their information by seeing. Others are able to learn better by hearing, and still others by doing. The most efficient way for the average person to learn is to combine as many types of input as possible, including looking, listening, touching, feeling and doing.
Some people, on the other hand, may be weak in one or more areas, so they do not learn easily in school. Different learning styles are a normal variation, and it does not relate to intelligence. Confusion also occurs when the student's learning style is different from the teacher's learning and teaching style. This causes much frustration in a classroom situation. The teacher in a classroom, of course, needs to present instructions and lessons in all three major learning styles so that all students can follow the lesson. If you are the parent, be sure to use your child's major learning style (which may not be your own), to present new information and give directions. Also, encourage him to practice the other learning styles so he is strengthened overall as a learner.
Schools teach primarily through seeing and listening. That is, the teacher talks and shows things on the chalkboard or projected on a screen, then gives the students work sheets and books to look at. If the student's visual or auditory perception is weak, the student will struggle in school. Students with weaknesses in the reading readiness skills such as visual and auditory perception, speech, and muscle coordination will have a further problem in school if the teacher does not accommodate for their learning styles.
Students with visual perception weaknesses will have difficulty following the teacher's written directions. The teachers will tend to complain that the student does not focus on a task with it is given without an explanation and sample problems. The student won't follow the directions printed on the work sheets. They may say the student doesn't read the directions or follow them, and talks with his friends about what to do. This student may also have difficulty building up a visual image or remembering a picture. They may not be able to copy from the chalk board accurately. Nearsightedness just makes this ask more formidable. Students with visual perception weaknesses need the assignment printed out of them, then listen to their lessons explained out loud. They will need to discuss this activity, and perform it before learning it effectively and well. Tell the student what he is to do, ask him to repeat the directions back to you, and then let him do a sample problem or two. This student may also read aloud to himself to get the auditory input he needs. Later, when his visual perception is built up, he will need to outgrow the crutch of reading aloud to himself.
Students with auditory perception weaknesses will have difficulty following the teachers' spoken directions. The students will appear not to pay attention in class. The teacher may exhaust himself discussing the directions out loud, and after several repetitions, may find the student is even more confused. Students with auditory perception confusions will need the assignment printed out for them, to see, read and manipulate or perform an activity before they can learn effectively. This student will benefit from learning to read, and needs written instructions, pictures, diagrams and charts of how to do his assignment. He needs to see it and do some sample problems to successfully complete an activity. This student may have difficulty building up an auditory memory or image, and remembering spoken directions. This student may well read poorly aloud, yet read silently at a high level.
Still other students have trouble with motor coordination, and can't write down their information easily although they can read adequately and answer out loud. They need help with typing and computers so they can compensate for their weak areas. These students also need written instructions.
Some students struggle with integration. This means they have trouble putting it all together. The student may even be strong in the various learning styles, and still have difficulty integrating or blending these skills together to learn the alphabet, word recognition and build reading comprehension. These students are often helped by moving rhythmically and use music and body movements to integrate the sight and sounds of words.
Students with both Visual and Auditory perception difficulties do not learn well by looking at or listening to instructions. They can't build an image in their mind, or recall what they were supposed to do. They can learn kinesthetically, by touch and feel. These students can learn very thoroughly by manipulating, experiencing, performing, practicing and exercising their muscles to learn. Most of these students not only use the large and small muscle memory, but also tactile input including the sensations of touch, feeling of texture, pressure, heat and cold, edges, motions and so on.
One student who was quite sure that he could never learn because he couldn't build a mental picture or remember anything used this method to learn. In a moment of desperation, the teacher asked "What did you eat for lunch?" "A chili corn dog" was the answer. He had a great memory for taste and smell. In 10 minutes of excited discussion he was able to use the vivid image of the tastes to build in his mind what the chili dog looked like and what it sounded like as he ate it with the taco chips. A student like him will benefit from a very understanding teacher, or even from special education placement. He remembered well what was connected to his excellent memory for tastes.
Use what works for your student. Forget about theory, how you learn, or how another student learned. Resolve your student's skill difficulties so he will have success. Be grateful for what works, and use your students' strong skill areas to build success
Everyone has areas of intellectual strengths and personal learning styles. Most people get the majority of their information by seeing. Others are able to learn better by hearing, and still others by doing. The most efficient way for the average person to learn is to combine as many types of input as possible, including looking, listening, touching, feeling and doing.
Some people, on the other hand, may be weak in one or more areas, so they do not learn easily in school. Different learning styles are a normal variation, and it does not relate to intelligence. Confusion also occurs when the student's learning style is different from the teacher's learning and teaching style. This causes much frustration in a classroom situation. The teacher in a classroom, of course, needs to present instructions and lessons in all three major learning styles so that all students can follow the lesson. If you are the parent, be sure to use your child's major learning style (which may not be your own), to present new information and give directions. Also, encourage him to practice the other learning styles so he is strengthened overall as a learner.
Schools teach primarily through seeing and listening. That is, the teacher talks and shows things on the chalkboard or projected on a screen, then gives the students work sheets and books to look at. If the student's visual or auditory perception is weak, the student will struggle in school. Students with weaknesses in the reading readiness skills such as visual and auditory perception, speech, and muscle coordination will have a further problem in school if the teacher does not accommodate for their learning styles.
Students with visual perception weaknesses will have difficulty following the teacher's written directions. The teachers will tend to complain that the student does not focus on a task with it is given without an explanation and sample problems. The student won't follow the directions printed on the work sheets. They may say the student doesn't read the directions or follow them, and talks with his friends about what to do. This student may also have difficulty building up a visual image or remembering a picture. They may not be able to copy from the chalk board accurately. Nearsightedness just makes this ask more formidable. Students with visual perception weaknesses need the assignment printed out of them, then listen to their lessons explained out loud. They will need to discuss this activity, and perform it before learning it effectively and well. Tell the student what he is to do, ask him to repeat the directions back to you, and then let him do a sample problem or two. This student may also read aloud to himself to get the auditory input he needs. Later, when his visual perception is built up, he will need to outgrow the crutch of reading aloud to himself.
Students with auditory perception weaknesses will have difficulty following the teachers' spoken directions. The students will appear not to pay attention in class. The teacher may exhaust himself discussing the directions out loud, and after several repetitions, may find the student is even more confused. Students with auditory perception confusions will need the assignment printed out for them, to see, read and manipulate or perform an activity before they can learn effectively. This student will benefit from learning to read, and needs written instructions, pictures, diagrams and charts of how to do his assignment. He needs to see it and do some sample problems to successfully complete an activity. This student may have difficulty building up an auditory memory or image, and remembering spoken directions. This student may well read poorly aloud, yet read silently at a high level.
Still other students have trouble with motor coordination, and can't write down their information easily although they can read adequately and answer out loud. They need help with typing and computers so they can compensate for their weak areas. These students also need written instructions.
Some students struggle with integration. This means they have trouble putting it all together. The student may even be strong in the various learning styles, and still have difficulty integrating or blending these skills together to learn the alphabet, word recognition and build reading comprehension. These students are often helped by moving rhythmically and use music and body movements to integrate the sight and sounds of words.
Students with both Visual and Auditory perception difficulties do not learn well by looking at or listening to instructions. They can't build an image in their mind, or recall what they were supposed to do. They can learn kinesthetically, by touch and feel. These students can learn very thoroughly by manipulating, experiencing, performing, practicing and exercising their muscles to learn. Most of these students not only use the large and small muscle memory, but also tactile input including the sensations of touch, feeling of texture, pressure, heat and cold, edges, motions and so on.
One student who was quite sure that he could never learn because he couldn't build a mental picture or remember anything used this method to learn. In a moment of desperation, the teacher asked "What did you eat for lunch?" "A chili corn dog" was the answer. He had a great memory for taste and smell. In 10 minutes of excited discussion he was able to use the vivid image of the tastes to build in his mind what the chili dog looked like and what it sounded like as he ate it with the taco chips. A student like him will benefit from a very understanding teacher, or even from special education placement. He remembered well what was connected to his excellent memory for tastes.
Use what works for your student. Forget about theory, how you learn, or how another student learned. Resolve your student's skill difficulties so he will have success. Be grateful for what works, and use your students' strong skill areas to build success
The Ins and Outs of Experiential Learning
What is Experiential Learning?
As it's name suggests, Experiential Learning could be most simply understood as learning by doing. Experiential Learning is often associated with constructivist learning theory.
Why is Experiential Learning useful?
The old adage of 'nothing beats some hands on experience' applies here. Through putting students in situations to build real world experiences, experiences that have both benefits and consequences, students are able to put their learnings into practice. Experiential Learning encourages students to make discoveries and experiment with knowledge themselves, instead of hearing or reading about the experiences of others. Think about when you were studying to be a teacher, if you were anything like me, then the most valuable time spent during your university/college education was the time spent on teaching rounds.
How could I incorporate Experiential Learning in the classroom?
Chances are if you've read through the what and why of Experiential Learning then you will already have formed some ideas about how best to incorporate this learning style in your own classroom. In the beginning stages of Experiential Learning, and depending on the age of your students, it is perhaps best to use things such as role plays, games and simulations of real life situations. Anything that will bring the subject your teaching out of the text book and into the 'real world' of your students. It may require you, as the teacher, to rethink the way you lead your class, leading to a more dynamic learning environment.
If students are a little older Experiential Learning can move outside of the classroom. Longer terms projects that involve numerous elements both in and out of the classroom can work well, depending on the class. Preparing a school magazine is a prime example. Keep it interesting, but keep in grounded in the subject your leading.
What are the benefits of Experiential Learning?
The benefits for the students are obvious. Experiential Learning encourages students to think more freely about how their actions and knowledge can impact upon real world scenarios.
I would argue that the key feature of Experiential Learning is the way in which it asks you, as the teacher, to change the way you view the classroom. It forces your teaching to become more dynamic and active as you, in effect, learn with your students, reviewing what works and what doesn't, and all the while improving. It helps prevent your teaching style from growing stale, and that can only be a good thing for everyone.
As it's name suggests, Experiential Learning could be most simply understood as learning by doing. Experiential Learning is often associated with constructivist learning theory.
Why is Experiential Learning useful?
The old adage of 'nothing beats some hands on experience' applies here. Through putting students in situations to build real world experiences, experiences that have both benefits and consequences, students are able to put their learnings into practice. Experiential Learning encourages students to make discoveries and experiment with knowledge themselves, instead of hearing or reading about the experiences of others. Think about when you were studying to be a teacher, if you were anything like me, then the most valuable time spent during your university/college education was the time spent on teaching rounds.
How could I incorporate Experiential Learning in the classroom?
Chances are if you've read through the what and why of Experiential Learning then you will already have formed some ideas about how best to incorporate this learning style in your own classroom. In the beginning stages of Experiential Learning, and depending on the age of your students, it is perhaps best to use things such as role plays, games and simulations of real life situations. Anything that will bring the subject your teaching out of the text book and into the 'real world' of your students. It may require you, as the teacher, to rethink the way you lead your class, leading to a more dynamic learning environment.
If students are a little older Experiential Learning can move outside of the classroom. Longer terms projects that involve numerous elements both in and out of the classroom can work well, depending on the class. Preparing a school magazine is a prime example. Keep it interesting, but keep in grounded in the subject your leading.
What are the benefits of Experiential Learning?
The benefits for the students are obvious. Experiential Learning encourages students to think more freely about how their actions and knowledge can impact upon real world scenarios.
I would argue that the key feature of Experiential Learning is the way in which it asks you, as the teacher, to change the way you view the classroom. It forces your teaching to become more dynamic and active as you, in effect, learn with your students, reviewing what works and what doesn't, and all the while improving. It helps prevent your teaching style from growing stale, and that can only be a good thing for everyone.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Learning: I Need To Hear Or Feel What You Want Me To Do... Causes of School Frustration
All children start out motivated, but all students get frustrated at school. All first grade children know they are going to go to school to learn to read and write and do 'rithmetic and grow up to become a fireman, astronaut, or surfer. Parents, teachers and students need to know why students get "stuck" and how to work around it all.
Everyone has areas of intellectual strengths and personal learning styles. Most people get the majority of their information by seeing. Others are able to learn better by hearing, and still others by doing. The most efficient way for the average person to learn is to combine as many types of input as possible, including looking, listening, touching, feeling and doing.
Some people, on the other hand, may be weak in one or more areas, so they do not learn easily in school. Different learning styles are a normal variation, and it does not relate to intelligence. Confusion also occurs when the student's learning style is different from the teacher's learning and teaching style. This causes much frustration in a classroom situation. The teacher in a classroom, of course, needs to present instructions and lessons in all three major learning styles so that all students can follow the lesson. If you are the parent, be sure to use your child's major learning style (which may not be your own), to present new information and give directions. Also, encourage him to practice the other learning styles so he is strengthened overall as a learner.
Schools teach primarily through seeing and listening. That is, the teacher talks and shows things on the chalkboard or projected on a screen, then gives the students work sheets and books to look at. If the student's visual or auditory perception is weak, the student will struggle in school. Students with weaknesses in the reading readiness skills such as visual and auditory perception, speech, and muscle coordination will have a further problem in school if the teacher does not accommodate for their learning styles.
Students with visual perception weaknesses will have difficulty following the teacher's written directions. The teachers will tend to complain that the student does not focus on a task with it is given without an explanation and sample problems. The student won't follow the directions printed on the work sheets. They may say the student doesn't read the directions or follow them, and talks with his friends about what to do. This student may also have difficulty building up a visual image or remembering a picture. They may not be able to copy from the chalk board accurately. Nearsightedness just makes this ask more formidable. Students with visual perception weaknesses need the assignment printed out of them, then listen to their lessons explained out loud. They will need to discuss this activity, and perform it before learning it effectively and well. Tell the student what he is to do, ask him to repeat the directions back to you, and then let him do a sample problem or two. This student may also read aloud to himself to get the auditory input he needs. Later, when his visual perception is built up, he will need to outgrow the crutch of reading aloud to himself.
Students with auditory perception weaknesses will have difficulty following the teachers' spoken directions. The students will appear not to pay attention in class. The teacher may exhaust himself discussing the directions out loud, and after several repetitions, may find the student is even more confused. Students with auditory perception confusions will need the assignment printed out for them, to see, read and manipulate or perform an activity before they can learn effectively. This student will benefit from learning to read, and needs written instructions, pictures, diagrams and charts of how to do his assignment. He needs to see it and do some sample problems to successfully complete an activity. This student may have difficulty building up an auditory memory or image, and remembering spoken directions. This student may well read poorly aloud, yet read silently at a high level.
Still other students have trouble with motor coordination, and can't write down their information easily although they can read adequately and answer out loud. They need help with typing and computers so they can compensate for their weak areas. These students also need written instructions.
Some students struggle with integration. This means they have trouble putting it all together. The student may even be strong in the various learning styles, and still have difficulty integrating or blending these skills together to learn the alphabet, word recognition and build reading comprehension. These students are often helped by moving rhythmically and use music and body movements to integrate the sight and sounds of words.
Students with both Visual and Auditory perception difficulties do not learn well by looking at or listening to instructions. They can't build an image in their mind, or recall what they were supposed to do. They can learn kinesthetically, by touch and feel. These students can learn very thoroughly by manipulating, experiencing, performing, practicing and exercising their muscles to learn. Most of these students not only use the large and small muscle memory, but also tactile input including the sensations of touch, feeling of texture, pressure, heat and cold, edges, motions and so on.
One student who was quite sure that he could never learn because he couldn't build a mental picture or remember anything used this method to learn. In a moment of desperation, the teacher asked "What did you eat for lunch?" "A chili corn dog" was the answer. He had a great memory for taste and smell. In 10 minutes of excited discussion he was able to use the vivid image of the tastes to build in his mind what the chili dog looked like and what it sounded like as he ate it with the taco chips. A student like him will benefit from a very understanding teacher, or even from special education placement. He remembered well what was connected to his excellent memory for tastes.
Use what works for your student. Forget about theory, how you learn, or how another student learned. Resolve your student's skill difficulties so he will have success. Be grateful for what works, and use your students' strong skill areas to build success.
Everyone has areas of intellectual strengths and personal learning styles. Most people get the majority of their information by seeing. Others are able to learn better by hearing, and still others by doing. The most efficient way for the average person to learn is to combine as many types of input as possible, including looking, listening, touching, feeling and doing.
Some people, on the other hand, may be weak in one or more areas, so they do not learn easily in school. Different learning styles are a normal variation, and it does not relate to intelligence. Confusion also occurs when the student's learning style is different from the teacher's learning and teaching style. This causes much frustration in a classroom situation. The teacher in a classroom, of course, needs to present instructions and lessons in all three major learning styles so that all students can follow the lesson. If you are the parent, be sure to use your child's major learning style (which may not be your own), to present new information and give directions. Also, encourage him to practice the other learning styles so he is strengthened overall as a learner.
Schools teach primarily through seeing and listening. That is, the teacher talks and shows things on the chalkboard or projected on a screen, then gives the students work sheets and books to look at. If the student's visual or auditory perception is weak, the student will struggle in school. Students with weaknesses in the reading readiness skills such as visual and auditory perception, speech, and muscle coordination will have a further problem in school if the teacher does not accommodate for their learning styles.
Students with visual perception weaknesses will have difficulty following the teacher's written directions. The teachers will tend to complain that the student does not focus on a task with it is given without an explanation and sample problems. The student won't follow the directions printed on the work sheets. They may say the student doesn't read the directions or follow them, and talks with his friends about what to do. This student may also have difficulty building up a visual image or remembering a picture. They may not be able to copy from the chalk board accurately. Nearsightedness just makes this ask more formidable. Students with visual perception weaknesses need the assignment printed out of them, then listen to their lessons explained out loud. They will need to discuss this activity, and perform it before learning it effectively and well. Tell the student what he is to do, ask him to repeat the directions back to you, and then let him do a sample problem or two. This student may also read aloud to himself to get the auditory input he needs. Later, when his visual perception is built up, he will need to outgrow the crutch of reading aloud to himself.
Students with auditory perception weaknesses will have difficulty following the teachers' spoken directions. The students will appear not to pay attention in class. The teacher may exhaust himself discussing the directions out loud, and after several repetitions, may find the student is even more confused. Students with auditory perception confusions will need the assignment printed out for them, to see, read and manipulate or perform an activity before they can learn effectively. This student will benefit from learning to read, and needs written instructions, pictures, diagrams and charts of how to do his assignment. He needs to see it and do some sample problems to successfully complete an activity. This student may have difficulty building up an auditory memory or image, and remembering spoken directions. This student may well read poorly aloud, yet read silently at a high level.
Still other students have trouble with motor coordination, and can't write down their information easily although they can read adequately and answer out loud. They need help with typing and computers so they can compensate for their weak areas. These students also need written instructions.
Some students struggle with integration. This means they have trouble putting it all together. The student may even be strong in the various learning styles, and still have difficulty integrating or blending these skills together to learn the alphabet, word recognition and build reading comprehension. These students are often helped by moving rhythmically and use music and body movements to integrate the sight and sounds of words.
Students with both Visual and Auditory perception difficulties do not learn well by looking at or listening to instructions. They can't build an image in their mind, or recall what they were supposed to do. They can learn kinesthetically, by touch and feel. These students can learn very thoroughly by manipulating, experiencing, performing, practicing and exercising their muscles to learn. Most of these students not only use the large and small muscle memory, but also tactile input including the sensations of touch, feeling of texture, pressure, heat and cold, edges, motions and so on.
One student who was quite sure that he could never learn because he couldn't build a mental picture or remember anything used this method to learn. In a moment of desperation, the teacher asked "What did you eat for lunch?" "A chili corn dog" was the answer. He had a great memory for taste and smell. In 10 minutes of excited discussion he was able to use the vivid image of the tastes to build in his mind what the chili dog looked like and what it sounded like as he ate it with the taco chips. A student like him will benefit from a very understanding teacher, or even from special education placement. He remembered well what was connected to his excellent memory for tastes.
Use what works for your student. Forget about theory, how you learn, or how another student learned. Resolve your student's skill difficulties so he will have success. Be grateful for what works, and use your students' strong skill areas to build success.
Learning Math With Manipulatives -- The Abacus
The abacus has been around in various forms for over 2300 years. It was used for various counting and operational tasks. One might even call it the original math manipulative (unless you count fingers and stones). In my younger years, abaci were relegated to the bottom shelf or used as a toy for the kinesthetic kids. These days, abaci can meet the same fate that the abaci of my youth did. The first known abacus, the Salamis tablet, collected dust for over 2100 years. For all those lonely and banished abaci on dusty shelves everywhere, I dedicate this article on how to represent, add and subtract whole and decimal numbers.
As most teachers know, the use of manipulatives by younger elementary students helps them to understand the concepts of place value and operations later on. In my search for a variety of manipulatives to teach number sense, addition and subtraction, I came across a convenient tool in the abacus. I'm sure it was no coincidence that each row on the abacus included exactly ten beads, but there was no operators manual with the abacus I found. When I found an instruction manual several years later, I found that the manufacturer of the abacus saw it as no more than a counting device and had no idea of the place value power inherent in the design.
Representing Numbers With a Dusty Abacus
When I first started using an abacus as a manipulative in math class, I was teaching grade six. In the grade six curriculum, students were supposed to represent whole numbers greater that one million and decimal numbers to thousandths. If you count the number of places from one million down to thousandths, you get ten places. Coincidentally, the abacus had ten rods of ten beads each. I'm sure what I discovered was discovered long ago, and some manufacturers probably even send out better instruction manuals that make note of this, but at the time, it was a completely new discovery.
To make a long story short, I assigned each row a specific place value starting with millions at the top, and thousandths at the bottom. One could use a strip of tape or an indelible marker to label the rows. To represent a number, a student would simply move the number of beads for the value of each place in the number they were given. For example, the number 325,729 was represented by moving three of the hundred thousands beads, two of the ten thousands beads, five of the thousands beads, seven of the hundreds beads, two of the tens beads and nine of the ones beads.
I didn't have a class set of abaci, so I made up little sketches of an abacus (six or so per page) and students showed representations of numbers using these.
Adding and Subtracting Numbers With a Polished Abacus
Once students are familiar with representing numbers using an abacus, they can move onto adding and subtracting numbers. The idea of adding using an abacus and place value is quite a simple process. Begin by representing the first number. Add the value of each place value in the second and subsequent numbers one at a time beginning with the lowest place value and regroup as necessary.
Consider this simple example, 178 + 255. The student would represent 178 on the abacus to begin. She would then add five to the ones row. Since there aren't five more beads to add, this first move would also involve regrouping. The student would move the two remaining ones, then regroup by sliding all ten ones back and replacing them with a ten. She would then move three more beads since she already moved two of them for a total of five. Since there was some regrouping, there would now be eight tens. The students needs to add five more, so there would be another regrouping, this time of ten tens to make a hundred. Finally, the student moves two additional hundred beads; this time regrouping isn't necessary. If everything was done correctly, the student would end up with four hundreds beads, three tens beads and three ones beads.
A variation on addition is to add the second and subsequent numbers from the highest place value to the lowest place value.
Subtracting is much the same as addition, but it involves "removing" beads. The procedure for subtracting is to represent the first number then to subtract the value of each place value in the second and subsequent numbers beginning with the highest place value.
Consider this example, 3.252 - 1.986. The student would first represent 3.252 using the abacus. He would begin by subtracting one one. This is fairly straight forward because there are enough ones available. In the next step, though, the student has to subtract nine tenths from two tenths. He begins by subtracting two of the nine tenths, but he then has to regroup one of the remaining ones into ten tenths. Once he has ten more tenths, he can subtract the remaining seven tenths. He continues by subtracting eight hundredths from five hundredths, and again, he has to regroup, this time, one of the tenths into ten hundredths. The final step also involves regrouping since six thousandths must be subtracted from two thousandths. In the end, the student hopefully ends up with one one, two tenths, six hundredths, and six thousandths (1.266).
Subtraction could also be accomplished by subtracting the lowest place value first, but this sometimes means more manipulations of the beads which means more chance for error.
Conclusion
The use of the abacus takes a little bit of time to master. It is important that the teacher and the students use the correct place value terminology (e.g. "regroup ten hundreds to make one thousand" instead of "turn ten green beads into one blue bead"), so the concepts of place value, addition, and subtraction can be transfered to mental strategies and paper/pencil algorithms. Remember, the best way to dust and polish an abacus is with little fingers!
As most teachers know, the use of manipulatives by younger elementary students helps them to understand the concepts of place value and operations later on. In my search for a variety of manipulatives to teach number sense, addition and subtraction, I came across a convenient tool in the abacus. I'm sure it was no coincidence that each row on the abacus included exactly ten beads, but there was no operators manual with the abacus I found. When I found an instruction manual several years later, I found that the manufacturer of the abacus saw it as no more than a counting device and had no idea of the place value power inherent in the design.
Representing Numbers With a Dusty Abacus
When I first started using an abacus as a manipulative in math class, I was teaching grade six. In the grade six curriculum, students were supposed to represent whole numbers greater that one million and decimal numbers to thousandths. If you count the number of places from one million down to thousandths, you get ten places. Coincidentally, the abacus had ten rods of ten beads each. I'm sure what I discovered was discovered long ago, and some manufacturers probably even send out better instruction manuals that make note of this, but at the time, it was a completely new discovery.
To make a long story short, I assigned each row a specific place value starting with millions at the top, and thousandths at the bottom. One could use a strip of tape or an indelible marker to label the rows. To represent a number, a student would simply move the number of beads for the value of each place in the number they were given. For example, the number 325,729 was represented by moving three of the hundred thousands beads, two of the ten thousands beads, five of the thousands beads, seven of the hundreds beads, two of the tens beads and nine of the ones beads.
I didn't have a class set of abaci, so I made up little sketches of an abacus (six or so per page) and students showed representations of numbers using these.
Adding and Subtracting Numbers With a Polished Abacus
Once students are familiar with representing numbers using an abacus, they can move onto adding and subtracting numbers. The idea of adding using an abacus and place value is quite a simple process. Begin by representing the first number. Add the value of each place value in the second and subsequent numbers one at a time beginning with the lowest place value and regroup as necessary.
Consider this simple example, 178 + 255. The student would represent 178 on the abacus to begin. She would then add five to the ones row. Since there aren't five more beads to add, this first move would also involve regrouping. The student would move the two remaining ones, then regroup by sliding all ten ones back and replacing them with a ten. She would then move three more beads since she already moved two of them for a total of five. Since there was some regrouping, there would now be eight tens. The students needs to add five more, so there would be another regrouping, this time of ten tens to make a hundred. Finally, the student moves two additional hundred beads; this time regrouping isn't necessary. If everything was done correctly, the student would end up with four hundreds beads, three tens beads and three ones beads.
A variation on addition is to add the second and subsequent numbers from the highest place value to the lowest place value.
Subtracting is much the same as addition, but it involves "removing" beads. The procedure for subtracting is to represent the first number then to subtract the value of each place value in the second and subsequent numbers beginning with the highest place value.
Consider this example, 3.252 - 1.986. The student would first represent 3.252 using the abacus. He would begin by subtracting one one. This is fairly straight forward because there are enough ones available. In the next step, though, the student has to subtract nine tenths from two tenths. He begins by subtracting two of the nine tenths, but he then has to regroup one of the remaining ones into ten tenths. Once he has ten more tenths, he can subtract the remaining seven tenths. He continues by subtracting eight hundredths from five hundredths, and again, he has to regroup, this time, one of the tenths into ten hundredths. The final step also involves regrouping since six thousandths must be subtracted from two thousandths. In the end, the student hopefully ends up with one one, two tenths, six hundredths, and six thousandths (1.266).
Subtraction could also be accomplished by subtracting the lowest place value first, but this sometimes means more manipulations of the beads which means more chance for error.
Conclusion
The use of the abacus takes a little bit of time to master. It is important that the teacher and the students use the correct place value terminology (e.g. "regroup ten hundreds to make one thousand" instead of "turn ten green beads into one blue bead"), so the concepts of place value, addition, and subtraction can be transfered to mental strategies and paper/pencil algorithms. Remember, the best way to dust and polish an abacus is with little fingers!
Science Fair Projects, a Teachers Guide
It's that time of year again. Kids learn by doing, and this is the opportunity the inquisitive geniuses have been waiting for. Is second-hand smoke harmful? Do boys or girls have better study habits?
Is the air more polluted at the bus station than near my home?
Kids are always asking questions and science fairs afford them the opportunity to answer these questions in a scientifically valid manner. Great science fair projects begin with the teacher or the parent. Helping your students select a project topic is undoubtedly your first task during the science fair season.
DO help your students to find the right project. The internet can be a great resource for gathering project ideas. There are thousands of science fair project ideas listed.
Teach them to enter key words like "science fair projects" or "science project ideas" or any combination of related key word. If the student is interested in biology, he/she could enter "biology science fair projects".
Finding something that interests them is the key to their success. Here are some helpful dos and don'ts:
* DON'T do the research yourself. The student's search for the right project is a necessary first step in getting their interest. It will be really exciting for the student to surf the web and enjoy the experience of finding the project that he/she just cannot wait to do.
* DON'T micro manage their efforts. They should feel free to express themselves.
* DO give them general guidelines for completion dates.
* DO teach them the step-by-step scientific method.
* DO make them feel secure about asking you questions.
Presentation is another area where many students could use extra guidance. Even the greatest science fair project will fail if it's presented poorly. Show your students examples of award-winning displays. And be sure to tell them about the judges' criteria for excellence.
Guide them on any science fair project limitations. Some science fairs discourage the use of live animals. Others may not permit projects that require growing plants because of the time required. Still others frown on the use of certain chemicals, especially for the younger grades. Make sure your students are aware of the limitations of your school
Science Fair Projects, A Parent's Guide
Oh dear, your days of peace and quiet are over. Your child will be creating a science project for the school science fair. Your kitchen will become a laboratory with messy chemicals and gooey liquids. Your living room will become a staging area for display boards, charts and graphs. Your computer area will be covered with pages and pages of research material.
Is all this chaos really worth it?
Yes! Even though scientists and engineers are held in high esteem, America is suffering from a lack of technically trained young people to enter the work force. Science fairs give children an appreciation for the science and engineering fields and encourage them to seek technical careers. Steering your child into successful science fair participation and cheering their efforts is a good step toward their future.
So, where do you begin?
Here are some dos and don'ts to keep your sanity, keep order in the house, and help your would-be scientists to create a great project, and perhaps even win an award.
* DO help them select a project in a subject that holds their interest. A topic they like and choose will keep them interested and focused on the tasks at hand.
* DON'T do the research for your student. Research is part of the learning process.
* DO make certain that your child allows enough time from start to finish. Six weeks is a good idea. Some projects take much longer.
* DO make sure that your child follows the "scientific method". This will include such topics as research, problem, hypothesis, experiment and conclusion.
* DO listen to your child's "practice" presentations.
* DON'T do any of the work for your child, but DO give him/her guidance whenever needed. There are no yelling or short tempers when doing science projects. There are only opportunities for exciting discovery.
* DO give encouragement, guidance and support.
* DON'T stress the award factor. The most important aspect of the entire exercise is discovery, excitement and learning.
* DO give your child the help they need in going to libraries, getting available computer time, and making funds available for needed materials.
* DON'T let your child do a project that uses dangerous chemicals, or is otherwise unsafe.
* DO instill a sense of pride and accomplishment to your child for their efforts, but DON'T be afraid to give your child constructive criticism.
Is all this chaos really worth it?
Yes! Even though scientists and engineers are held in high esteem, America is suffering from a lack of technically trained young people to enter the work force. Science fairs give children an appreciation for the science and engineering fields and encourage them to seek technical careers. Steering your child into successful science fair participation and cheering their efforts is a good step toward their future.
So, where do you begin?
Here are some dos and don'ts to keep your sanity, keep order in the house, and help your would-be scientists to create a great project, and perhaps even win an award.
* DO help them select a project in a subject that holds their interest. A topic they like and choose will keep them interested and focused on the tasks at hand.
* DON'T do the research for your student. Research is part of the learning process.
* DO make certain that your child allows enough time from start to finish. Six weeks is a good idea. Some projects take much longer.
* DO make sure that your child follows the "scientific method". This will include such topics as research, problem, hypothesis, experiment and conclusion.
* DO listen to your child's "practice" presentations.
* DON'T do any of the work for your child, but DO give him/her guidance whenever needed. There are no yelling or short tempers when doing science projects. There are only opportunities for exciting discovery.
* DO give encouragement, guidance and support.
* DON'T stress the award factor. The most important aspect of the entire exercise is discovery, excitement and learning.
* DO give your child the help they need in going to libraries, getting available computer time, and making funds available for needed materials.
* DON'T let your child do a project that uses dangerous chemicals, or is otherwise unsafe.
* DO instill a sense of pride and accomplishment to your child for their efforts, but DON'T be afraid to give your child constructive criticism.
10 Things You Should Do Before Your Child's IEP Meeting
1. Read last year's IEP - It's important to review what came out of last year's plan. Was it successful ? Did the methods of instruction work ? Did the measurement process used really tell you if progress was being made ? Were the goals & objectives really functional for your child? Also try to think back to the actual meeting -- what part of the discussion did you feel least prepared for ? Remembering will help you prepare better this time around!
2. Update your advocacy notebook -- Hopefully you have a single book that allows you to keep all of your child's information (evaluations, old IEPs, correspondence with school & service providers, etc.) organized & easily accessible. If there is new information from Dr.'s, teachers, or related service providers that needs added to your book take care of the filing now. You'll be glad to have the most current information if the issue comes up during the meeting.
3. Do your homework -- is there any new information on your child's disability, have you heard about any promising new intervention strategies that caught your attention? Now is the time to check them out. Research them on the internet or contact a local resource person who can tell you more or provide you with information to review.
4. Come prepared to "grow" your team -- If you've found anything interesting during your research, the IEP meeting is an excellent time to share this information. Rather than contacting everyone individually or relying on 1 person to pass on your information, you can share it with everyone at once. If the information describe an intervention strategy you would like used in this year's IEP then be sure to bring copies so everyone can look over the information at once during the meeting. Few professional team members are going to be willing to sign off on something they don't understand or feel comfortable with. By helping them learn, you maximize your chances of getting what you want.
5. Make your list -- Once you're organized & your research is complete is time to make your list. What are the issues you feel like really need to be addressed in your child's IEP. Remember other team members may want to add additional items during your discussion, but you don't want to be thinking afterwards, "Oh I really wanted to discuss X & forgot to bring it up." Right now, while you're calm & not under time pressure is the time to decide what the issues are from your perspective.
6. Prioritize -- Because IEPs are a team process they by their very nature demand compromise. So once you've developed you list, you'll need to go back through & divide it into 2 categories.
A) the issues that are non-negotiable to me -- they must be addressed for me to give my consent for this IEP
B) the issues that I am concerned about, but I'm not sure how I want them addressed or what the critical components are. On these issues I'm willing to compromise or settle for minimal supports while we gather more information.
7. Decide who's coming with you -- IEPs tend to be extremely anxiety provoking for parents. When you are experiencing a lot of emotion it is unlikely that you will be able to absorb all the information be given to you. Having someone else there who can listen to the discussion & take notes will free you up to participate in the discussion & focus on your own agenda.
8. What about taping the meeting -- Recording IEP meetings can be a touchy issue for many school districts. However, if you cannot find anyone to come with you to the meeting you may want to consider tape recording it so that you can refer back to the discussion after you're home & calm. One caution, you will need to notify the school that you would like to tape record the meeting. Explain that it will be only for your reference & ask if there are any school guidelines or policies that you should be aware of regarding taping. Start this process as soon as you've been notified about the meeting as some school districts have time guidelines that the notice of recording must be given at least X amount of time before the meeting.
9. Determine your child's participation - If you see a future of self-advocacy for your child, then it is important to involve them in IEPs as early as possible. This will let them watch your advocacy skills & learn by imitation. It also give you the opportunity to get their input on what & how they would like to learn. If you aren't comfortable with your child attending the meeting, then consider how their presence can be felt by proxy. Two ways recommended by other parents are:
A) Bring your child's picture & set it in the center of the table - this should effectively remind everyone at the table that the decisions made will impact the life of a real person & shouldn't be arbitrary or for convenience sake.
B) Bring your child's portfolio -- originally developed to introduce new teachers to your child, the portfolio illustrates all that is unique & special about your child. This is a wonderful way to remind participants that everyone has strengths & special qualities to bring to the "table of life". Check out the sample portfolio in our web resource section for ideas on how to do this.
10. Review your rights! -- Right before you attend a meeting filled with professionals is the perfect time to read again how the federal laws "see" your role as parent. It will reinforce your feeling of importance within the team & also ensure that no one surprises you with any "questionable" tactics during the meeting.
If you have completed all 10 steps you should be feeling pretty prepared. Now you can go into that conference room with confidence knowing that you are ultimate "expert" on your child!
2. Update your advocacy notebook -- Hopefully you have a single book that allows you to keep all of your child's information (evaluations, old IEPs, correspondence with school & service providers, etc.) organized & easily accessible. If there is new information from Dr.'s, teachers, or related service providers that needs added to your book take care of the filing now. You'll be glad to have the most current information if the issue comes up during the meeting.
3. Do your homework -- is there any new information on your child's disability, have you heard about any promising new intervention strategies that caught your attention? Now is the time to check them out. Research them on the internet or contact a local resource person who can tell you more or provide you with information to review.
4. Come prepared to "grow" your team -- If you've found anything interesting during your research, the IEP meeting is an excellent time to share this information. Rather than contacting everyone individually or relying on 1 person to pass on your information, you can share it with everyone at once. If the information describe an intervention strategy you would like used in this year's IEP then be sure to bring copies so everyone can look over the information at once during the meeting. Few professional team members are going to be willing to sign off on something they don't understand or feel comfortable with. By helping them learn, you maximize your chances of getting what you want.
5. Make your list -- Once you're organized & your research is complete is time to make your list. What are the issues you feel like really need to be addressed in your child's IEP. Remember other team members may want to add additional items during your discussion, but you don't want to be thinking afterwards, "Oh I really wanted to discuss X & forgot to bring it up." Right now, while you're calm & not under time pressure is the time to decide what the issues are from your perspective.
6. Prioritize -- Because IEPs are a team process they by their very nature demand compromise. So once you've developed you list, you'll need to go back through & divide it into 2 categories.
A) the issues that are non-negotiable to me -- they must be addressed for me to give my consent for this IEP
B) the issues that I am concerned about, but I'm not sure how I want them addressed or what the critical components are. On these issues I'm willing to compromise or settle for minimal supports while we gather more information.
7. Decide who's coming with you -- IEPs tend to be extremely anxiety provoking for parents. When you are experiencing a lot of emotion it is unlikely that you will be able to absorb all the information be given to you. Having someone else there who can listen to the discussion & take notes will free you up to participate in the discussion & focus on your own agenda.
8. What about taping the meeting -- Recording IEP meetings can be a touchy issue for many school districts. However, if you cannot find anyone to come with you to the meeting you may want to consider tape recording it so that you can refer back to the discussion after you're home & calm. One caution, you will need to notify the school that you would like to tape record the meeting. Explain that it will be only for your reference & ask if there are any school guidelines or policies that you should be aware of regarding taping. Start this process as soon as you've been notified about the meeting as some school districts have time guidelines that the notice of recording must be given at least X amount of time before the meeting.
9. Determine your child's participation - If you see a future of self-advocacy for your child, then it is important to involve them in IEPs as early as possible. This will let them watch your advocacy skills & learn by imitation. It also give you the opportunity to get their input on what & how they would like to learn. If you aren't comfortable with your child attending the meeting, then consider how their presence can be felt by proxy. Two ways recommended by other parents are:
A) Bring your child's picture & set it in the center of the table - this should effectively remind everyone at the table that the decisions made will impact the life of a real person & shouldn't be arbitrary or for convenience sake.
B) Bring your child's portfolio -- originally developed to introduce new teachers to your child, the portfolio illustrates all that is unique & special about your child. This is a wonderful way to remind participants that everyone has strengths & special qualities to bring to the "table of life". Check out the sample portfolio in our web resource section for ideas on how to do this.
10. Review your rights! -- Right before you attend a meeting filled with professionals is the perfect time to read again how the federal laws "see" your role as parent. It will reinforce your feeling of importance within the team & also ensure that no one surprises you with any "questionable" tactics during the meeting.
If you have completed all 10 steps you should be feeling pretty prepared. Now you can go into that conference room with confidence knowing that you are ultimate "expert" on your child!
Monday, January 1, 2007
Attention Deficit Disorder: What Should We Do
It is estimated that there are over 2.5 million people who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. The majority of these are boys. As a mother of a boy and a teacher, I have seen first hand the evidence of this, and I have to ask why we, as a nation, are content to medicate these beautiful, brilliant children instead of questioning the methods of teaching and choosing alternative educational settings for them.
Wouldn't it be easier to reform our educational system than to come up with money for new drugs, doctor visits, psychologist visits, IEP meetings, at risk intervention programs, and yes, even prison terms? And yet, even with all of the previously mentioned strategies, academic success for these children is not met. True, there are many instances where medication is a gift for a child and makes a remarkable difference for him. However, most parents who have placed their children on Ritalin have cited that it doesn't seem to help and the negative consequences outweigh whatever gains noted. In addition, in a report just released, researchers have found a link to the use of Ritalin and cancer. These are serious side effects and consequences.
ADD is a relatively new player on the field of learning disorders. Just as labeling this as a disorder causes the child to wonder what is wrong with him. In addition, there is no blood test or definitive measure of diagnosis for this disorder. A child is diagnosed with having ADD through the use of a subjective checklists. If a teacher wants a student diagnosed as having ADD, it is really quite easy to accomplish, especially if a parent is unsure of what to do. At any given time, most people would exhibit symptoms of ADD. However, they don't need a strong medication to keep them from showing these symptoms.
I find it interesting as I work with ADD students how they can learn to focus with some simple changes in their learning environment. Following are some easy solutions and suggestions for working with a student labeled with ADD. Keep in mind that our goal when working with these children is to help them succeed, both in school and in life.
1.I always teach visual and auditory memory skills. After working with so many of these students, I have found that they are generally weak in these areas. Simple exercises will help their sensory processing. I personally feel that a lot of their behaviors are a result of not having the necessary "Velcro" to hold images and sounds in their brains.
2.I use a lot of color with these kids. When I model a skill, I use blank paper and a colored marker. When I have them do work, I always have them use color. They can tune in to color - it holds their interest, and I feel that a great deal of ADD children are really right-brained, and color is a way to access the right side of the brain. When I have them do work, I have them use an erasable colored pencil.
3.I play soothing instrumental music in the background as I work with these kids. Once again, the music is an avenue to access the right side of the brain. It calms these kids and helps them focus. I also stress to parents that they should keep these kids away from loud music that has harmful words, such as rap or heavy metal. The sensitive ADD/right-brained child should not have to compete with these lyrics and sounds to concentrate.
4.Keep these kids away from fluorescent lighting. Most schools today have fluorescent lighting, which can be a nightmare for these kids. Keep in mind that their hearing is more sensitive than most kids and that they hear different sounds. Also, the hum of a computer or refrigerator can be a disaster for these kids. If your child's school only has fluorescent lighting, then seek a different school situation and see if this helps. If you can't do this, then have the child do ear eights on a regular basis, which can help balance the hearing centers of the brain.
5.Try to keep the student in a class with a low student to teacher ratio. A busy classroom with over 30 kids will only feed the fuel of this child's disadvantages. The noise, energy, and motion of so many bodies will be a distraction, and believe me, the student with ADD will be the one that stands out, usually receiving the blame or punitive measures.
6.Keep a positive attitude with this student. The world seems to pick him apart, and I know he can try your soul. However, he needs someone on his team, and as a parent that would have to be you. Offer a lot of exercise. Keep him away from junk food and soda. Believe me, I know this is hard, but these are super sensitive kids, and nutrition can make a huge difference.
7.Limit television, video game, and computer time. I know how difficult this can be, but the visual images and graphics are harmful to this sensitive child. I have found that almost all of the ADD students I work with are content to build with Lego's or draw. On some level they seem to crave the quiet, calm activities. If provided with them, it is soon revealed what a talented, creative child you have and how a burden can be taken off of him.
ADD accounts for 50% of child and teen visits to mental health clinics. Boys are 5 to 6 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADD. Simple changes can make a huge difference to these children's lives, and it makes much more sense to make these changes than to medicate these creative children.
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