Tips for Teachers to Work With Parents

• Contact parents early on and before a problem occurs, particularly when there’s good news to report;
• Consider writing a weekly newsletter or report on classroom learning and activities;
• Invite parents to come into the classroom and assign them tasks if they are willing;
• Involve them in reading groups and remedial assistance when possible, being aware that all parents may not read or write English;
• Let parents know how they can reinforce classroom learning at home; consider asking them to sign a contract requiring them to make children complete homework and other home learning activities;
• Visit families in their homes if possible to see firsthand how well learning is supported there;
• Address parents’ concerns head on. If you are taking a pedagogical approach that raises questions, work to show parents the benefits of your methods and explain your reasoning to them; and
• Hold a parent meeting the first month of the school year in which you talk about your expectations for student achievement and behavior, leave time for questions, and if you don’t know the answer promise to call soon with one.
   

Poem to remember Mean, Median and Mode

The objective of this poem is to help students recognize and remember the difference between mean, median and mode. Although they may not remember the poem, often, key words may trigger there memory.

The students enjoy and think it is funny, but it is great for motivating students to write poetry to help them remember math concepts.

The mean is very mean,
It adds and divides all the numbers seen.

The median meets you in the middle,
While playing the fiddle.

The mode is a pot of gold,
The number that appears the most it will hold.

Microsoft Word has an option called “AutoCorrect”

Microsoft Word has an option called “AutoCorrect” that automatically fixes certain spelling errors when you type. Well, Word doesn’t really know what is an error unless you tell it what an error is. And, if you decide that typing your initials is an error, when you really meant to type your name – you can have Word change this! In fact, you could have Word change the phrase “MyWebPage” to “http://www.mypage.com” if you’d like.

To do so, choose “Tools” and then “AutoCorrect.” In the dialog box, type in what text you want to replace, and the resulting text of the replacement. Chose “OK” to close the dialog box.

Computer teaching tips

Collaborative Web “Textbooks.” Students and teachers can together research a particular topic to find readings available on the web. They can work together to create a site that will in turn become part of a reading list of materials or a virtual “textbook” for the course.  

Analyzing Web Sites. This activity can take several forms, but students can analyze “effective” or good web sites, trying to identify their characteristics and patterns. Conversely, much can be learned by examining “ineffective” or bad web sites as well. This activity essentially asks students to conduct a rhetorical analysis of web publishing. Students could further compare analogous print sources to note similarities or differences– for example, compare the web site for Kellogg’s Cereal with print ads, the side of cereal boxes, etc.

Preschool’s Contribution towards Children Success

The word “kindergarten” means “children’s garden,” and for years has conjured up an image of children playing with blocks, splashing at water tables, dressing up in costumes or playing house. Kindergarten teachers know from experience what a positive contribution preschool makes toward children’s success in school.  In one national survey, 84% of kindergarten teachers agreed that children who’ve been to preschool have an advantage over those who have not.

Full-Day Kindergarten Advantages

Herman (1984) describes in detail the advantages of full-day kindergarten. He and others believe full-day programs provide a relaxed, unhurried school day with more time for a variety of experiences, greater opportunity for screening and assessment to detect and deal with potential learning problems, and more occasions for good quality interaction between adults and students.

While the long term effects of full-day kindergarten are yet to be determined, Thomas Stinard’s (1982) review of 10 research studies comparing half-day and full-day kindergarten indicates that students taking part in full-day programs demonstrate strong academic advantages as much as a year after the kindergarten experience. Stinard found that full-day students performed at least as well as half-day students in every study (and better in many studies) with no significant adverse effects.

A recent longitudinal study of full-day kindergarten in the EvansvilleVanderburgh, Ohio, School District indicates that fourth graders maintained the academic advantage gained during full-day kindergarten (Humphrey 1983).

Despite often expressed fears that full-day kindergartners would experience fatigue and stress, school districts that have taken care to plan a developmentally appropriate, nonacademic curriculum with carefully paced activities have reported few problems (Evans and Marken 1983; Stinard 1982).

Disadvantages of Full-Day Kindergarten Programs:

Critics of full-day kindergarten point out that such programs are expensive because they require additional teaching staff and aides to maintain an acceptable childadult ratio. These costs may or may not be offset by transportation savings and, in some cases, additional state aid.
Other requirements of full-day kindergarten, including more classroom space, may be difficult to satisfy in districts where kindergarten or primary grade enrollment is increasing and/or where school buildings have been sold.

In addition to citing added expense and space requirements as problems, those in disagreement claim that full-day programs may become too academic, concentrating on basic skills before children are ready for them. In addition, they are concerned that half of the day’s programming in an all-day kindergarten setting may become merely child care.

Kindergarten in India

In India, kindergarten is divided into two stages- lower kindergarten (LKG) and upper kindergarten (UKG). Typically, an LKG class would comprise of children 3 to 4 years of age, and the UKG class would comprise of children 4 to 5 years of age. After finishing upper kindergarten, a child enters Class 1 (or, Standard 1) of primary school. Often kindergarten is an integral part of regular schools. In most cases the kindergarten is run as a private school. Younger Children are also put into a special Toddler/Nursery group at the age of 2 – 2 1/2. It is run as part of the kindergarten.

An all-day kindergarten program can provide children the opportunity to spend more time engaged in active, child-initiated, small-group activities. Teachers in all-day kindergarten classrooms often feel less stressed by time constraints and may have more time to get to know children and meet their needs.

Behavior Management – Proactive Measures

Most of what happens in a classroom must be closely controlled by a caring, trustworthy adult. Order, limit setting, and structure are essential in a classroom setting. Teachers should take every possible proactive measure using the following steps:

Arrange furniture to meet social/emotional needs as well as instructional and organizational needs.

Adjust schedules to provide a balance between highly structured periods and more stimulating activities.

Establish a group behavior management plan that incorporates individual needs.

Provide direct instruction, programmed learning, and precision teaching lessons. These will build students’ self-confidence while establishing a knowledge base from which to expand problem-solving and higher-level thinking skills, as students demonstrate readiness for learning experiences that require less external structure.

Keep student-to-student interactions to a minimum initially. This is especially important during times when adult monitoring would be difficult. Trust and safety cannot be established if individuals within the group continually undermine each other or the adults, with problems created in secret.

Provide group-building opportunities that move students from an “I” to a “We” orientation without overstimulating or threatening them. These activities and opportunities are most effective when integrated into the affective, academic, and recreational arenas.

Select a group peer leader. The group will select a leader whether the teacher assists with this process or not. Qualities of leadership include being perceived as similar to other group members and being reinforced for modeled behavior.

Be aware of how individual needs affect group dynamics. Group members typically assume roles early in the establishment of the group dynamics.

Source: www.cec.sped.org

Responsibilities of Special Education Administrator

Few of the responsibilities the special education administrator fulfills are:

• Determine educational standards and goals for special education programs.
• Ensure that those programs comply with federal, state, and local laws.
• Set policies and procedures for special education teachers and staff who are implementing those programs.
• Motivate teachers and staff.
• Provide parents with regular reports on their child’s progress.
• Review and evaluate all programs – pilot programs, long-term programs, future programs.
• Write grants, prepare budgets.
• Respond to legislative questions and concerns.
• Mediate disputes between parents and schools.
• Attend community meetings when critical special education issues are discussed.