Ten Tips for Becoming a More Effective Teacher

Barak Rosenshine is professor emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Illinois-Urbana- Champaign. In 2010, professor Rosenshine authored  “Principles of Instruction,” which was published by the International Academy of Education. A synopsis of that article  recently appeared in the spring issue of America  Educator. Rosenshine developed a list  of ten principles that are critical  for those wish to become successful teachers.  The contents of this list are:

1)      A teacher should begin every new lesson with a review of the previous lesson

2)      Present any new material in small bits so a student can practice this information as each bit is acquired.

3)      Ask many questions.

4)      Guide the learning process as students practice the new learning

5)      Be sure that your students fully understand what they are being taught.

6)      Strive for attaining a high success rate.

7)      Provide stages of learning for the more difficult tasks

8)      Monitor independent practice of material learned

9)      Develop weekly and monthly reviews of the material taught

10) Provide models for the student in your classroom

 While this list many seem very elementary and should have acquired by teachers in their college preparation programs, there are many educators we ho do not utilize these guidelines. It is important to not overwhelm your students with new material in large segments at one sitting.

The time spent on introducing new material depends on the difficulty of material and the subject that is being taught. Mathematics in particular is a subject that require a great deal of introduction, demonstrating, questioning and providing examples. 

There will be times where the classroom teacher will have to reteach a lesson. There are a number of reasons why this may occur. It is possible that the students’ general fund of knowledge was not strong( enough to grasp a new concept. (See E.D. Hirsch’s book- Cultural Literacy) There may be a wide variety of learning styles present in the classroom (there usually are). It may also be that theteacher did not do a good enough job preparing  for the lesson and presenting it in a way that was understandable to the students. One key to determine if the students are having success with the lesson is by the number and type of questions a student may ask. The effective teacher will be able to sense if the material has to be presented again or in a different way so as to obtain a more effective result.  Another suggestion in the Rosenstine article is to use student tutors. We know from experience on the classroom that sometime a fellow student can get a concept across to a classmate where the teacher has not been successful.

Teachers need to provide students the opportunity to be successful as they practice what they have learned. This should include allowing the students work independently  solving problems or  writing to demonstrating that they have mastered the topic presented in the lesson. Rosenstine concludes that from his research material that is not adequately presented and practiced may end up being forgotten.

From. Barak Rosenstine” Principles of Instruction: Researched based Strategies that All Teachers Should Know.”pp12-19,39. American Educator. Spring 2012, vol.36 No.1.

Spring Break Alternatives

I just returned from a brief trip to famed South Beach in Miami Beach. The traffic was impossible. The neighborhood was jammed with men and bikini clad college women who had just recently invaded the town for the annual rite known as “Spring Break.” Frankly with the enomoiny in its current state, I did not expect such a large turnout this year. While I know that many of the participants w will have an enjoyable week in the sun before they have to return to their studies, I thought that there might be a more productive way to spend the week. It just so happens that there is. It is known as “alternative Spring Break”. Students get an opportunity to go to another country for a week and volunteer their assistance to the community.

The University of New Mexico’s Continuing Education division has activity programs for children ages 6-12. There is a Lego camp, as well as other opportunities for arts and crafts activities. There is also a teen job boot camp to help students gain an advantage in applying for summer employment. There are also opportunities for aspiring writers and astronomers.

There are several other organizations that are worthwhile to investigate. Projects Abroad, United Planet and ELAP provide opportunities for students to aid in under developed nations. Students can choose to work in Costa Rica or Guatemala for example.

Projects Abroad (http://www.projects-abroad.org/) offers opportunities for internships as well as volunteer projects. The organization has placed students in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The organization has an average placement of 8000 participants a year and been actively engaged in these projects since 1992.  For more information you may access their web site or contact them at 347 West 36th Street, Suite 903, New York NY 10018. To phone-    US Toll-free: 1 888 839 3535.   

Another such organizations is United Planet whose mission statement include the following “As an international non-profit organization, United Planet strives to create a world in which all people understand, respect, and support one another. United Planet's global network of leaders and volunteers fosters cross-cultural understanding and addresses shared challenges to unite the world in a community beyond borders.” For more information about United Planet please go to http://www.unitedplanet.org/. Participation can be from as little as one week to an entire year.  Program costs start at $995.

ELAP – Experimental Learning Abroad Programs (http://www.myelap.com/). This organization offers individual as well as group placements in a number of countries but primarily focuses on central and South America. Opportunities are available for people with interest in business, health, education, and conservation.

The point is that spring break need not be your parents’ notion of what spring break was. (If you are a nostalgia buff, rent the movie “Where the Boys Are” with George Hamilton) You have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people all around the world. You can work on your tan this summer.

Become a part of the solution.

Grading Student Work- Does Spelling (still) Count?

 Having come most recently from the academic realm of the college classroom, the fundamentals of grading are relatively simple. On the first day of class, the professor provides the students with a syllabus, indicating what the course expectations are as well as what the assessment will be. With the exception perhaps of English literature where there is a great deal of essay writing, the grading parameters are well identified in advance.

This is definitely not the case in the public school classroom – especially in the elementary and middle school grades. Teacher assessment of student progress can be more subjective. Does neatness count? What about spelling? Should a student’s work habits be a part of the grade? Then there is the issue of homework. What percentage of a student’s grade should completion of homework be? Should a student be allowed to retake a test if he or she performs poorly the first time around? These are all questions that classroom teachers have to deal with on a regular basis. Parents are challenging grading procedures especially if it can impact placement in advanced classes or at the the high school level, have an impact on athletic eligibility,  class ranking, or college acceptance.

Across the country there is a movement, albeit a slow one, toward mastery grading. That is, a student’s grade is solely based upon his or her academic performance.

A number of school districts around the country are moving toward a system known as mastery grading. This standards based system identifies specifically what is to be taught and how the teacher will determine subject mastery. Since students learn at different rates and by a variety of teaching methods, it is acceptable to hake a student take a test more than once if more time is needed to attain the designated mastery level.

Rick Wormeli author of, "Fair Isn't Always Equal,” is a proponent of this grading policy. This system of grading uses M for mastery, demonstrating that a student has mastered the standard by showing accuracy 80 percent of the time. If a student is not quite showing mastery, he is progressing and is given a score of P. If a student exceeds mastery of the standard she can receive an E. If a student is failing to progress toward mastery, he receives an LP grade. The goal is a report card or progress report containing all M grades, meaning the student has mastered all the standards for his level.

For more information:http://www.ehow.com/about_5372186_types-grading-systems.html#ixzz1oMwt6jCI

 Check list for grading policy:

ü  Determine the objectives to be taught.

ü  Choose a means of assessing student achievement.

ü  Develop lessons that will help students achieve the goal of mastery.

ü  Devise alternate means of assessment for student who have different learning styles.

ü  Self evaluation/ Did students master subject based on how you taught?

March is Women's History Month

Women’s History Month

In case you may have forgotten, March is National Women’s history month. For the classroom teacher there are ample opportunities at most grade levels to engage in a discussion of the role of women in the history of the United States. To that end there are also numerous web sites that will provide materials and suggestions for providing teachable moments for our children.

A wonderful site for elementary children is sponsored by Crayola. http://www.crayola.com/calendar/detail.cfm?event_id=215&year=2012#coloring. Here you will find coloring pages, craft ideas and lesson plans. For example there is a page of Queen Elizabeth II for students to color. You can tie that in with her Jubilee this year.

The National Women’s History Project has given a theme for this year’s activities.  It is “Women’s Education- Women’s Empowerment”. You can obtain a great deal about the work of this organization who material is more suitable for high school students, from http://www.nwhp.org/whm/index.php.

 One of this year’s honorees is Annie Sullivan, the brace and dedicated woman who taught Helen Keller. There are lots of opportunities for discussion about her and other prominent women on our history, many who do not get much attention in a classroom setting.

Even the United States Census Bureau has a site with facts and figures about women in this country. Topics such as earnings education and motherhood are discussed. According to the latest census fugues there are 157 million women in the United States, larger than the male population. There re over 200,000 women currently serving in the military. You can access this site by going to: http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb12-ff05.html.

There is a National Women’s Hall of Fame located in Seneca Fall, New York. On their web site http://www.greatwomen.org/. This is a great site to navigate to see who has been elected to the Hall and what their accomplishments were. You will find Abigail Adams, Hillary Clinton, Lucille Ball, as well as Harriet Tubman and Ida Tarbell. This is an excellent resource.

Lesson Idea!

For many years the United States Postal Services has honored great American women by issuing commemorative postage stamps honoring their accomplishments. The efforts of American women in medicine, art, literature, music, and public service have all been acknowledged. You can ask your students to bring in stamps honoring women and share with the class what their achievements were. You can have your students create Women in American History stamp album.  Have the students make a poster with information about American women’s contribution to society.