Resume Writing Tips

by Joel Heffner

Getting your first job or getting a better job usually starts with an effective resume. Here are 8 tips that may make the difference.

Create your own Web site. If you have a Web site that contains content related to your subject area, you probably will have an advantage. You will need a domain name and host. The domain should cost less than $10 per year. Hosting costs less than $10 per month. Do some comparison shopping before you get a host.

Check your spelling and grammar! If you overlook a silly mistake, your resume may end up in the waste paper basket.

Ask someone else to proofread your resume for spelling and grammar. You may be surprised at what you may have missed.

Ask someone else to proofread your resume for content. Ask someone who will give you an objective analysis. This is not a good time to ask your mother. She will think that everything you say is good. Get an outside opinion.

Use a high quality paper. Do not use the paper you normally use. The paper should be thick and have a significant rag content. Check your local office supply store to see what is avialable.

Print your resume using a laser printer, if possible. Photo copies and printing from an inkjet printer may not be up to the standard you need.

Write an appealing cover letter. Before they get to your resume, they will read your cover letter. If they are not impressed with your letter, they may never get to your resume.

Get help! You should write a resume with a book such as Resume Magic by Susan Britton Whitcomb next to you. You might also consider hiring a service that specializes in writing resumes.

Your resume may not get a job. However, a well crafted resume will get you to the next step.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers

by Joel Heffner

There are several factors in making an effective teacher. Most of the best teachers have all of them. How many do you have?

1. Effective teachers carefully prepare. Although it may look like something just pops up, planning is essential. Students sense that you are not really ready. Keeping an up-to-date lesson plan book and making notations on what works and what does not work is very helpful when getting ready for the next school year. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel when you find something that is very effective.

2. Effective teachers have a good rapport with students. The dictionary tells us that rapport means, “a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well.” That does not mean that a teacher has to be the student’s friend!

3. Effective teachers communicate with parents. Providing an on-going channel of communications with parents is essential. Having a Web site is also a wonderful way of keeping parents (and students) up-to-date. Providing a newsletter is a great way to communicate with parents.

4. Effective teachers are consistent. Keep to your schedule. Say what you mean. Avoiding making threats and then not doing what you have promised.

5. Effective teachers are also learners. Go to conferences. Attend afterschool workshops. Ask your neighbor. Find out what others are doing.

6. Effective teachers do not listen to complainers. If you come across complainers in the lunch room, avoid them like the plague!

7. Effective teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. Computer are not going away. They are here to stay. The faster a teacher learns how to integrate them into the classroom, the better it will be for everyone.

Teachers Earn a Degree Online

© Kimberly Moen

Many teachers today are considering an online graduate degree program to expand their knowledge and increase their teaching salaries. The advantages of an online college degree are many. You no longer have to adjust a work schedule around a class schedule, and you can avoid the time and money it takes to commute to a campus. You can earn a graduate degree online, continue to work, and still spend quality time with your family—rather than sitting in a classroom.

Key Factors

The following are a few important points to investigate if you’re thinking about an online degree program:

• Accreditation
• Acceptance by your district
• Instructors’ credentials
• Technology/equipment required
• Campus requirements
• Programs and specializations available
• Costs
• Transfer of credits
• Online Accredited Degree

Accreditation is pivotal in deciding which online degree program to pursue. The school awarding the online graduate degree should be accredited by one of the six regional accreditation associations. Most public school districts will accept only degrees from accredited institutions.

Technology/Equipment Required

Students should own or have dependable access to a computer with an Internet connection. The institutions I visited listed different minimum requirements, so you should check those, especially if you plan to purchase equipment.

Online or On Campus

Some online graduate degree programs also require quarterly on-campus meetings, so make sure you understand and can meet those requirements before committing to earn a degree online.

Online Degree Graduate Programs

Common online MA in Education programs include the following specializations:

• Administration and Supervision
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Early Childhood Education
• Special Education
• Teacher Education for Elementary Licensure
• Teacher Education for Secondary Licensure
• Curriculum and Instruction-Adult Education
• Curriculum and Instruction-Computer Education
• Curriculum and Instruction-English as a Second Language
• Online Degree Costs

Costs for an accredited online college degree are somewhat higher than a traditional classroom-based degree, but most working professionals I surveyed believe the additional costs are justified because many expenses associated with attending classes are eliminated—not to mention the value of convenience.

Transfer Credits

Most institutions of higher learning have guidelines for accepting transfer course credits, should that be required. Typically, transferred credits are accepted by schools, provided the credits were awarded by an accredited institution; further, a specific number of credits must be earned from the institution granting the degree. Make sure you understand the school’s policy on accepting transfer credits, if applicable.

If you’re interested in pursuing an online graduate degree, the most important aspects are accreditation and your district’s acceptance policy. Although the other points are significant, they are moot if the first two requirements aren’t met. Want to learn about other Distance and Online Education options? If you’re not quite ready to commit to an online degree, but you want to expand your horizons, explore Continuing Education.

Teachers and Childrens Learning Differently

Teachers can make an essential difference in the lives of children who learn differently. They can tap the talents of these students by understanding the many ways students can learn teaching in a way that addresses learning differences creating a learning climate which supports diversity in learning intervening effectively when students are struggling with learning. Explore some ways that teachers can support children with learning differences.

Homework: Tips

Homework should be using well understood skills. Homework is not to teach. It is to develop learning habits, and provide reinforcement. Amount of Homework should follow your District and School guidelines.

Homework should be fun while reinforcing aready learned facts and skills. For eg:
Wordsearches/ Crossword puzzles/other Puzzles for Spelling, Vocabulary.

Homework return should be 100%. No excuses. Start with easy and short assignments. Slowly increase the amount given. There must be consequences for no homework returned. Consequences do need to mesh with what other teachers in your school do.

Some Homework Ideas:

* Finish class work
* Memorize a poem, the states, the presidents
* Study
* Handwriting
* Write in a journal or write an essay
* Spelling
* Grammar
* Read aloud
* Read silently

MOTIVATING STUDENTS: 8 Simple Rules For Teachers

By Lana Becker and Kent N. Schneider, East Tennessee State University
becker@etsu.edu or kent@etsu.edu

Principles of Accounting has the reputation of being a “hard and boring” course. It is difficult to motivate students to invest the time and effort necessary to succeed in the course. To meet this challenge, we have assembled a list of eight simple rules for keeping students focused and motivated. These rules are not original, and they aren’t just for those of us who teach accounting classes. Indeed, most of these time-honored suggestions apply to any course students find hard and boring, and we think that makes them broadly applicable.

Rule 1: Emphasize the most critical concepts continuously. Reiterate these concepts in lectures and assignments throughout the course. Include questions relating to these critical subjects on every exam, thus rewarding students for learning, retaining, and, hopefully, applying this knowledge in a variety of contexts.

Rule 2: Provide students with a “visual aid” when possible to explain abstract concepts. A significant proportion of today’s’ students are visual learners. For these students, a simple diagram or flowchart truly can be more valuable than a thousand words in a text or a lecture.

Rule 3: Rely on logic when applicable. Point out to students which information is merely “fact” that must be memorized and which course material is based upon “logic.” Show students how to employ logical thinking to learn and retain new information. For example, in the double-entry bookkeeping system, “debits” equal “credits,” and debit entries cause assets to increase. These are “facts” or features of the system; they are not based on logic. However, once the student accepts the system, logic can be used to operate within the system. Continuing the example, if debit entries increase assets, it is logical that credit entries will cause assets to decrease.

Rule 4: Use in-class activities to reinforce newly presented material. After a new concept or subject has been presented via text reading, lecture, or class discussion, allow the students to put the concept into action by completing an in-class assignment. These assignments can be short, but they must be developed to ensure that the students understand the critical concepts underlying the new material. Typically, the most learning takes place when the students are permitted to work in small groups, to refer to their text and notes, and to ask questions of the instructor while completing the assignment. If these in-class assignments are part of the course grading scheme, class attendance also improves.

Rule 5: Help students create a “link” when teaching something new. If the student can “link” the new material to something already learned, the odds of learning the new material are greatly increased. Examples of possible “links” include: prior material learned in this course (e.g., the critical concepts described in Rule 1), material learned in prerequisite courses, and “real-life” experiences of the students outside the classroom.

Rule 6: Recognize the importance of vocabulary in a course. Students often struggle with new vocabulary in many courses, especially introductory ones. To succeed in these courses, students must become comfortable with the new terminology. As subjects are presented, new and/or confusing terms should be identified and introduced to the students. Present “real-world” definitions and alternative terminology, in addition to textbook definitions. One way to help students assimilate the course vocabulary is to create a “living” glossary on the instructor’ website where new terminology is added, explained, and illustrated throughout the course.

Rule 7: Treat students with respect. Patronizing behavior may be expected in primary school teachers, and “drill sergeant” strategies may be effective in military book camps. However, most college student will not respond well to these techniques. Give students their dignity, and they will give you their best efforts.

Rule 8: Hold students to a high standard. If students are not required to maintain a specified level of learning and performance, only the most highly motivated students will devote the time and effort necessary to learn. In contrast, maintaining high standards not only will motivate student learning, it will also be the source of student feelings of accomplishment when those standards are met.

Each of these rules can help motivate even the most lethargic student, but Rule 7 and 8 are the most important. If students are not treated with respect and held to a high standard, scrupulously following the first six rules will have much less impact and might end up being an exercise in futility.