school success Archives - Page 26 of 27 - Inspired Together Teachers

Great Education Advice From A Bunch of Old Dead Guys!

October 4, 2015 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

When it comes to advice about education, the old Hebrew saying “there is nothing new under the sun” seems to be true. Take a look at this advice from some of these teacher peeps who have long gone on to to that great classroom in the sky. It may be old advice, but it is as true today as when it was first uttered in knowing voices by the wise and revered ones!

I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think. Socrates

We think Socrates would approve of 21st Century skills. With today’s easy access to computers to look up facts, we know we need to focus on higher level thinking- -analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and creative problem solving. When thinking happens, the learning takes care of itself.

When the mind is thinking, it is talking to itself. Plato

Today we call this metacognition. We know that we need to understand what we know and what we do not know. Verbalizing or writing down our thoughts helps us to understand. Using journals and notebooks as teaching tools helps students clarify thinking and increase learning. If you are talking to yourself, you’re not crazy, you’re learning!

Human beings are curious by nature. Aristotle

If you don’t think this is true, watch a toddler in action. They touch, look, smell and yes, even taste everything. Once they begin to talk they question everything. Why is the moon in the sky? How do the leaves get on the trees? Where do the birds go in winter? We need to remember to encourage curiosity, letting children ask questions and explore to find answers. Curious students are engaged and motivated to learn. Who doesn’t want more of that?

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle

Do you believe everything you read? Do you believe everything you hear someone say? Critical thinking is the ability to take in information and judge its value. You are then able to make informed decisions…about what you buy, who you will vote for and what you will believe. In this day and age of social media with its constant flow of information, this skill seems more important than ever. After all, as Abraham Lincoln famously said, “you can’t believe everything you read on the internet.”

It is better to learn late than never. Pubillius Syrus

There is no expiration date on learning. Some learn a concept quickly, others take awhile. Some children learn to read at four, some at seven or eight, and some not until adulthood. Some adults go to college at 18, some at 60. Sometimes we have to make a mistake over and over before we learn. It is the learning that matters, not how fast we learn, how much time it takes, or how old we are. The Divas are still learning all the time -not that we are old …

I learned most, not from those who taught me, but from those who talked with me. St. Augustine

Lev Vygotsky said the same thing a couple of thousand years later. Some people learn best by talking. Do you talk to students and give students a chance to talk with each other? Social learning can be a very powerful tool. Try it with strategies such as Think -Pair-Share or Book Buddies. This also speaks to the power of relationships. Children will learn more from someone they have a relationship with. Talking one-on-one with someone is a great way to learn. Hmm..permission to talk in school? Yay!

Your library is your paradise. Desiderius Erasmus

If a library is your paradise, you will never suffer from boredom. You can take a virtual vacation, visiting any time and place in the world. You can de-stress and unwind or get engaged and be invigorated. You can meet the greatest minds that ever lived, be inspired by incredible people, and learn from masters. Just go there already…and take some students with you!

Correction does much, but encouragement does more. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Consider the students paper with a score of 2/10 correct. A huge red “F” on the top of the paper does not inspire further learning. A score of +2 with a note ” With more practice, you can improve this next time” does. Which grade would you rather have? Which one would make you try harder next time?

The secret of education is respecting the pupil. Ralph Waldo Emerson

We believe that all children deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. That means giving each child what he needs, delivered in a way he can understand it. It means dealing with behavioral issues in a timely and fair manner, without humiliation and shame. It is enacting the golden rule-do unto others as you would have done to you- a basic tenant in almost every culture and every religion in the world.

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. William Butler Yeats

Some people think the purpose of education is to cram your head full of factual knowledge. There is always a place for knowledge, but to inspire a student to love and seek understanding and truth is a much higher calling. We can never teach a student everything they will need to know, but if we can teach a student how to learn and ignite a love of learning, they will always be able to find what they need.

Does all this wisdom make you want to sport a toga and spout out some phrases for the ages? We’d love to hear your nuggets of wisdom or favorite educational quotes!

Go forth, seeketh wisdom and have a great week!

To The Young Teacher with Stars In Your Eyes

September 27, 2015 by Inspired Together Teachers 14 Comments

You are young and full of energy. You have worked hard to enter this profession. You are trained well and are full of ideas. You love your job, your students, and the thought that you can make a difference.

The school year is just a few weeks old. It starts with the excitement of all new things, as shiny and full of promise as a box of new crayons.

Sometime soon, reality will hit. The world is conspiring to beat you down.

You will feel the pressure for your students to perform well on standardized tests.

Parents who don’t know you or trust you will make unreasonable demands.

You will struggle to fill out all the paperwork and collect all the data.

You will read an article blaming teachers for being unable to help students succeed, though it won’t mention the poverty, violence and lack of medical attention many students live with.

Your one and only prep time is taken- again.

The students, no longer on their best behavior, are testing your limits.

Your friends won’t understand why you have to stay home and grade papers- on Saturday!

The voices in the teacher’s lounge have you questioning your judgment.

You start to question everything- your lessons, your philosophy and maybe even your choice of profession.

Don’t give up or give in.

Trust your instincts. Do what you think is best. When in doubt, choose what is best for the students.

Find your kindred spirits- there are colleagues who are upbeat and positive. You might have to look for them; they aren’t the ones complaining in the teacher’s room.

Find a trustworthy, experienced teacher who will give you good advice when you need it. It’s OK to ask for help.

Remember what brought you to this profession. You have a job to do. Though you may never know it, you will impact the lives of your students. You will help students learn, and you will help them to be better people. If you do your job right, you can’t help but make a difference.

If you have to, close the door and then teach your heart out. Know that you are not alone. In schools all over the country, teachers are quietly going about their day, working magic in a minefield of demoralization.

Don’t worry too much about messing up. What you lack in teaching skill and technique you will make up for in relationships. Kids will cut you some slack when they know you care about them.

When you are doing it right, you will get feedback in a hundred little ways. You’ll get notes from a student, an improved score, a better essay. You will feel the silence of a classroom engrossed, and the groans when you tell them it is time to stop. You’ll feel the energy when they are excited to learn. Pay attention, because that is your reward.

The great teacher Ralph Waldo Emerson said “nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Smile. Throw yourself into the task at hand with everything you’ve got. Stay the course.

Because as long as you have stars in your eyes, you’re going to make it.

Keep shining,

How Will Your Students Answer These 3 REVEALING Questions?

September 20, 2015 by Inspired Together Teachers 4 Comments

Imagine this familiar TV crime show scene:

An intense interview is conducted in a room with a two-way mirror.
From the other side of the mirror a person awaiting the response anxiously leans toward the mirror to listen with a mix of hope and dread. The listener knows what they want the interviewee to say but they are not confident the words will be spoken.
The interviewee answers and the listener…(insert emotional reaction here)

Now, imagine that your students are the people individually being interviewed while you secretly await their answers on the other side of the two-way mirror. They are asked these 3 difficult questions:

Do you think your teacher is a great teacher? Why or why not?
Do you think your teacher knows you as an individual and addresses your needs?
Do you think your teacher enjoys being a teacher and spending his/her days at school?

As you read through those questions, which caused you the greatest sense of hope in your students’ potential answers and which caused you the most unease? Would you want your students to answer all of these questions if they could reply without knowing you were listening?

In K-12 schools, teachers rarely get this type of honest feedback from students. At the college level, evaluations that include similar questions are asked and answered anonymously by students regularly. Why is it that we ask these crucial questions of college students, who spend 3 hours per week with their instructors for only 16 weeks of the year, yet don’t ask these same questions of students in the K-12 system who see their teachers daily for an entire year?

If you are confident you would be comfortable with the responses of your students if given a two-way mirror and these questions, congratulations, you have achieved a level of teaching that many strive for their entire career.

If one of these questions made you most uneasy about your students’ potential responses, find a way to make that a particular goal this year.

Here are points to consider to best use this assessment:

Create an anonymous way to ask your students these evaluation questions. These questions could be asked via paper/pencil, electronic survey (many free websites such as surveymonkey.com can do this), or ask a trusted colleague to interview a random sample of your students.
Consider having students expand on their answers for more specific information or add questions.
Use it as a self-assessment. You can ask yourself, periodically, how you think your students would respond to these questions. You may be able to predict their answers without asking the questions.
At the middle and end of the year, revisit the list of the 3 difficult questions and see if you are increasingly comfortable with the potential responses of your students.

This quick formative assessment can be the most telling assessment you give this year if you use the “results” to better your teaching and your classroom. You can become the investigator in your own classroom, even without a two-way mirror.

Happy investigating,

9 Ways To Teach Children About Feelings

September 15, 2015 by Inspired Together Teachers 2 Comments

Hello everyone! Today we are delighted to feature our very first guest post. From time to time we will share guest posts from insightful, thoughtful and educationally savvy leaders. It is our wish to share with you the best of the best teaching information we can find. This guest post will offer you ideas for your classroom and ideas to share with parents.

Today’s post is from Yanique Chambers, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a blog full of helpful ideas for dealing with the social and emotional concerns of children. When working with children, social and emotional issues often present the most challenges. If you find this article helpful, head over to her blog to find even more great content. You will find information about helping children make friends, dealing with bullies, life skills checklists for children and teens and much more.

9 Ways to Teach Children About Feelings by Yanique Chambers

I often tell my children to use their words when they are upset. I assume they know what they are feeling and can verbalize it to me. Wrong! It’s difficult for children to say what they are feeling because many times they don’t know what to name the feeling they are experiencing. Instead, they show us how they are feeling by throwing temper tantrums and having meltdowns. We first need to teach children the words to express their feelings before we require them to “use their words.”

Young children can be taught basic emotions such as happy, mad, sad, and scared as early as two years old. As they get older, you can explain emotions such as feeling frustrated, nervous, shy, etc. to them.

Here are some ways you can help your child learn the language they need to express their feelings:

1. Sing songs to help young children learn how to express their feelings. I came across this version of a preschool classic, If you are happy and you know it at Sunflowersstorytime.com. It goes:

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.

If you’re surprised and you know it say “Oh my!”

If you’re sad and you know it rub your eyes “Boo hoo”

If you’re scared and you know it shiver and shake.

If you’re sleepy and you know it close your eyes.

If you’re angry and you know it stomp your feet.

And always make sure end up with “happy” again.

They suggest having pictures of each emotion to show the kids as they sing the song.

2. Use games and activities to teach children about feelings.

Children like learning through playing and having fun. A fun game to help kids learn about feelings is Feelings Charades.

For this game you will need to make a feelings cube. Paste pictures of feeling faces on a tissue box. Have kids roll the box and whatever feeling face it lands on they have to act out.

You can find free feeling picture cards here.

You can also use the cards to play Memory. Simply print out two sets of Feeling Cards, shuffle them and then have your child find the matching Feelings Card.

3. Watch kid-friendly videos about feelings. Kids respond well to visual stimulation. Here are two videos I like to show kids to help them learn about feelings:

4. Get into the habit of labeling the feelings you believe your child is experiencing. For example, if your child runs up to you and hugs you as you walk through the door, you can say something like “someone is excited to see me” or “someone is happy I’m home.” Labeling your child’s feelings as they happen helps them to build their feelings vocabulary.

5. When you read to your child, discuss how the characters in the story are feeling.

Point out any clues that lets you know what they are feeling such as facial expressions or behaviors. Then explain to your child why the characters feel the way they do.

If your child is able to, let them take a turn identifying how the characters are feeling and why.

I like to read The Way I Feel to young children because it uses beautiful images to describe a range of feelings.

6. When your child does something that upsets someone else, let them know how their behavior might make others feel. For example, “When you called your sister names, she felt sad and her feelings were hurt. “ This will help your child be mindful of what they say and do to others. You can follow up by asking how they would feel if someone did the same thing to them. Encouraging your child to put themselves in someone else’s shoe teaches them how to be empathetic. Empathy is an important life skill that will allow your child to maintain positive relationships with other people.

7. Model appropriate ways to express feelings to your child. Children are always watching us and like sponges they soak everything up. Good and bad. If your child sees you expressing your feelings in a positive way, over time they learn to do the same. However, if they see you yelling and throwing things when you get upset, they are more likely to mimic this behavior.

8. Teach your child appropriate ways to express their emotions. It’s important that children learn that it is OK to have their feelings. What matters is how they express them. When your child is calm, discuss with them ways they can calm down when they are upset. The ABC’s of Calming Down is a great resource that contains 26 alphabetized calm down strategies to help children calm down.

9. Praise your child when they use words to express their feelings. Having the self-control to express your feelings appropriately is no easy feat. There are many adults who are unable to do this. When your child tells you how they are feeling instead of having a complete melt down, praise them for doing so. Be very specific. For example, “I like how you told your sister that you were sad when she called you names. That was very mature of you.” Praising your child for practicing good behavior makes them more likely to do it again in the future. It also lets them know that you are watching them and notice when they do good things.

It is important that children learn how to identify and express their feelings in an appropriate manner. Kids who are able to express their feelings are less likely to have meltdowns and temper tantrums. They also have an easier time making friends and getting along with others. For additional resources on teaching children about feelings, check out these Feelings Task Cards.

In what ways do you foster your child’s emotional intelligence?

Yanique Chambers is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker turned stay-at-home mom. You can find her on her blog kiddiematters.com where she discusses creative ways to teach children valuable social and life skills. You can also find her on twitter.com/kiddiematters

How Well Does Your TEAM Function?

September 4, 2015 by Paula Leave a Comment

In education there are different types of “teams.” There are grade-level teams, IEP teams, intervention teams, and just about every other type of “team” you can think of. If you are lucky enough to be on a team that functions well you know you are blessed. If you have ever been on a dysfunctional team, odds are that you don’t want to repeat the experience.

Does your current educational team function well?

Feel free to use these guidelines at your next team meeting to assess how you are doing as a group, to set goals for this school year, or to pat yourselves on the back for being a team that functions well according to these guidelines.

See if your group meets these four criteria of effective TEAMs:

T- Talk it out

It is easier to avoid difficult conversations than to talk about them. However, issues won’t go away just because you aren’t talking about them. Be honest and respectful in how you give and receive ideas. Don’t blame others for not understanding your point of view if you never explain it to them or if you state your perspective in a way that has your fellow team-members tuning you out before you finish your first sentence. Team members don’t have to always agree but they need to keep communicating. How well does your team address the difficult conversations?

E- Everyone brings something to the table

Respect the various strengths that each person brings to the group. If someone likes to keep the conversation focused, assign them the role of group facilitator. If another person has a strength with organization, allow them to prepare the materials for the meeting and handle follow-up contacts. When we fail to recognize and embrace our different strengths, we miss an opportunity to make the team better. Everyone in the team has a strength. Find it and use it to the advantage of the team. What strength does each person bring to your team? Have you embraced and built upon those strengths?

A-Ask questions

You may think you know what a fellow team member is implying but you will never know for sure unless you ask them. Clarifying questions, questions that cause the group to conduct further research, and questions that allow for reflection can all deepen the group discussion. Too often we fear that we are being pushy or condescending by asking questions. The truth is, the more you ask, the more you know. The more the group knows, the better decisions the group makes. How many and what types of questions were asked at your last team meeting?

M- Make it worth the time

Nothing is worse than a meeting that serves little purpose. No one wants to sit through a meeting that they feel is not worth their time. An hour meeting that could have been summarized in 5 minutes is frustrating. Be productive. Keep the meeting focused so all can leave with a sense of accomplishment. At the end of each meeting, ask yourselves if the meeting was a productive use of your time. If the answer is “no” then you need to make adjustments. Was your last team meeting worth your time?

Hopefully, your team meets these four criteria. We suggest being proactive, rather than reactive, and having a discussion with your team about how you function. Talking it out, respecting each individual’s strengths, asking questions, and making it worthy of time are just the beginnings of a team’s examination of how well they function.

What other criteria of effectively functioning teams would you add to our list?

Happy TEAMwork,

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