BY BinduSharma
The make up of the “Perfect School” from the eyes of the students:
In my classes:
I will learn best if we have a lot of discussions.
It is important that I have a positive learning experience;
I want to see colorful bulletin boards and other educational displays;
It is important that each class start with a review;
It is important that each class build on what was taught in previous classes;
I want to see or hear examples of what is to be learned;
I want my teacher to state clearly what is expected of me;
I want to be able to judge my own progress;
I want a variety of ways to demonstrate what I am learning;
I want to be graded often to determine if I am learning new information;
I want the chance to work on assignments in class where help is available;
I want homework to be emphasized in my class;
I want to be able to get additional help when I need it;
I want to know that the teacher cares about me as a person;
I want to understand how the content of the course will help me in “the real world;”
I want to understand how my teacher determines my grade on each assignment;
I want a variety of teaching methods/activities used in my class; (CDs, videos, hands-on activities, lectures, workbook activities, small group work);
I want my teacher to help me learn how things are alike and how they are different;
I want my teacher to help me learn how to take notes;
I want my teacher to encourage me when I am facing new material;
I want my teacher to be there every time i need her;
And
I want my teacher to present information in a way that allows me to have a “picture” in my mind of what is being taught.
23 September, 2008
05 September, 2008
Value Education
By C. Radhakrishnan
One more Teachers Day became a memory. Warm wishes and wonderful gifts heaped in front of us. Naturally, our minds were filled with joy and happiness. In the evening, I sat and reflected on what we are doing and what the world expects from us as 21st century teachers? Then I found that one of the greatest things the whole world wish from teachers would be inculcation of human Values through teaching. For materialising this expectation, we teachers should have a clear idea about the concept of Value Education. In this context, I wish to share some of my thoughts on this topic.
What is Value Education?
Education is a methodical effort towards learning basic facts about humanity. And the core idea behind value education is to cultivate essential values in the students so that the civilization that teaches us to manage complexities can be sustained and further developed. It begins at home and it is continued in schools. Everyone accepts certain things in his/her life through various mediums like society or government.
Why is it important?
Value education is important to help everyone in improving the value system that he/she holds and put them to use. Once, everyone has understood their values in life they can examine and control the various choices they make in their life. One has to frequently uphold the various types of values in his life such as cultural values, universal values, personal values and social values.
Thus, value education is always essential to shape one's life and to give him an opportunity of performing himself on the global stage. The need for value education among the parents, children, teachers etc, is constantly increasing as we continue to witness increasing violent activities, behavioral disorder, lack of unity in the society etc.
Why schools should take up this responsibility?
The family system in India has a long tradition of imparting value education. But with the progress of modernity and fast changing role of the parents it has not been very easy for the parents to impart relevant values in their wards. Therefore it is the responsibility of schools to impart value education programs that are addressed to rising problems of the modern society. These programs must concentrate on the development of the children, young adults etc. focusing on areas like happiness, humility, cooperation, honesty, simplicity, love, unity, peace etc.
One more Teachers Day became a memory. Warm wishes and wonderful gifts heaped in front of us. Naturally, our minds were filled with joy and happiness. In the evening, I sat and reflected on what we are doing and what the world expects from us as 21st century teachers? Then I found that one of the greatest things the whole world wish from teachers would be inculcation of human Values through teaching. For materialising this expectation, we teachers should have a clear idea about the concept of Value Education. In this context, I wish to share some of my thoughts on this topic.
What is Value Education?
Education is a methodical effort towards learning basic facts about humanity. And the core idea behind value education is to cultivate essential values in the students so that the civilization that teaches us to manage complexities can be sustained and further developed. It begins at home and it is continued in schools. Everyone accepts certain things in his/her life through various mediums like society or government.
Why is it important?
Value education is important to help everyone in improving the value system that he/she holds and put them to use. Once, everyone has understood their values in life they can examine and control the various choices they make in their life. One has to frequently uphold the various types of values in his life such as cultural values, universal values, personal values and social values.
Thus, value education is always essential to shape one's life and to give him an opportunity of performing himself on the global stage. The need for value education among the parents, children, teachers etc, is constantly increasing as we continue to witness increasing violent activities, behavioral disorder, lack of unity in the society etc.
Why schools should take up this responsibility?
The family system in India has a long tradition of imparting value education. But with the progress of modernity and fast changing role of the parents it has not been very easy for the parents to impart relevant values in their wards. Therefore it is the responsibility of schools to impart value education programs that are addressed to rising problems of the modern society. These programs must concentrate on the development of the children, young adults etc. focusing on areas like happiness, humility, cooperation, honesty, simplicity, love, unity, peace etc.
01 September, 2008
Student Values
By C. Radhakrishnan
The 27 student values are as follows, collected into three categories:
Peers
I feel safe at school
School is a happy and friendly place
Students are helpful and co-operative with each other
Students respect each other
There are lots of different types of people in the school
Teachers
I feel involved in making choices and decisions about my school activities.
Teachers are fair when they deal with me
Teachers are friendly, approachable and willing to listen
Teachers are knowledgeable in their subject
Teachers are organised and well prepared
Teachers are positive, enthusiastic and have a sense of humour
Teachers control their anger and remain calm at all times
Teachers encourage and help me to succeed
Teachers maintain discipline
Teachers make the work interesting and fun
Teachers provide me with honest and useful feedback
Teachers respect me
Teachers understand and relate to young people
Systems
Sufficient classroom and other materials are available
The curriculum is wide enough to meet most of my needs
The school encourages high standards
The school has a suitably enforced uniform policy
The school has good teaching and recreational facilities
The school has suitable computing facilities and good technology
The school is a comfortable place to be with sufficient heating, cooling and ventilation
The school is clean and tidy
The school provides me the opportunity to develop life skills
The 27 student values are as follows, collected into three categories:
Peers
I feel safe at school
School is a happy and friendly place
Students are helpful and co-operative with each other
Students respect each other
There are lots of different types of people in the school
Teachers
I feel involved in making choices and decisions about my school activities.
Teachers are fair when they deal with me
Teachers are friendly, approachable and willing to listen
Teachers are knowledgeable in their subject
Teachers are organised and well prepared
Teachers are positive, enthusiastic and have a sense of humour
Teachers control their anger and remain calm at all times
Teachers encourage and help me to succeed
Teachers maintain discipline
Teachers make the work interesting and fun
Teachers provide me with honest and useful feedback
Teachers respect me
Teachers understand and relate to young people
Systems
Sufficient classroom and other materials are available
The curriculum is wide enough to meet most of my needs
The school encourages high standards
The school has a suitably enforced uniform policy
The school has good teaching and recreational facilities
The school has suitable computing facilities and good technology
The school is a comfortable place to be with sufficient heating, cooling and ventilation
The school is clean and tidy
The school provides me the opportunity to develop life skills
Parent Values
By C. Radhakrishnan
The 17 parent values are as follows, collected into three categories:
School
I feel respected by the school's staff
I feel welcome when I contact or visit the school
The school encourages and values parental involvement
The school encourages me to contact the school whenever I need to
The school welcomes honest and open dialogue
The school, staff and I work together to educate my child
Systems
Teachers provide effective, fair discipline
Teachers provide good role models and the school is strongly values-based
The school has a suitably enforced and appropriate uniform policy
The school is a happy and friendly place
The school is a safe place for students, staff and parents
The school is properly resourced in both people and facilities
Teachers
Teachers are highly professional and capable
Teachers are inspiring and enthusiastic
Teachers encourage individual, all round development of students
Teachers have a genuine love for educating children
Teachers listen and communicate effectively with students and parents
The 17 parent values are as follows, collected into three categories:
School
I feel respected by the school's staff
I feel welcome when I contact or visit the school
The school encourages and values parental involvement
The school encourages me to contact the school whenever I need to
The school welcomes honest and open dialogue
The school, staff and I work together to educate my child
Systems
Teachers provide effective, fair discipline
Teachers provide good role models and the school is strongly values-based
The school has a suitably enforced and appropriate uniform policy
The school is a happy and friendly place
The school is a safe place for students, staff and parents
The school is properly resourced in both people and facilities
Teachers
Teachers are highly professional and capable
Teachers are inspiring and enthusiastic
Teachers encourage individual, all round development of students
Teachers have a genuine love for educating children
Teachers listen and communicate effectively with students and parents
Teacher Values
By C. Radhakrishnan
The 24 teacher values are as follows, collected into three categories:
Professional Environment
I am challenged and encouraged to make a difference
I am encouraged and well-supported in my professional development
I am part of a diverse and collegial culture
I do stimulating, challenging and satisfying work
I receive timely recognition and feedback on my performance
Senior staffs are grounded in the day-to-day reality of teaching and learning
Senior staffs are highly competent teaching professionals
Leadership & Purpose
Senior staffs are fair in all their dealings
Senior staffs are inspiring and model the values and behaviours that create a learning culture
Senior staffs are open, approachable and effective communicators
Senior staffs are proactive and forward-looking
Senior staffs are trusting, supportive and non-judgemental
Senior staffs listen closely and with empathy to students, parents and teachers
Senior staffs make decisions based on students' best interests
The school provides a clear set of values and standards to guide behaviour
The school recognises and reinforces the importance of relationships based on mutual respect
The school's focus is on the growth and development of the whole, unique child
Systems & Resources
I am strongly supported in my work by the school's parents
I feel physically safe and secure at the school
I have the time to do my job properly
Senior staffs are active in the school community
The school has effective behaviour management systems
The school has good teaching and support facilities
The school has suitable computing facilities and good technology
The 24 teacher values are as follows, collected into three categories:
Professional Environment
I am challenged and encouraged to make a difference
I am encouraged and well-supported in my professional development
I am part of a diverse and collegial culture
I do stimulating, challenging and satisfying work
I receive timely recognition and feedback on my performance
Senior staffs are grounded in the day-to-day reality of teaching and learning
Senior staffs are highly competent teaching professionals
Leadership & Purpose
Senior staffs are fair in all their dealings
Senior staffs are inspiring and model the values and behaviours that create a learning culture
Senior staffs are open, approachable and effective communicators
Senior staffs are proactive and forward-looking
Senior staffs are trusting, supportive and non-judgemental
Senior staffs listen closely and with empathy to students, parents and teachers
Senior staffs make decisions based on students' best interests
The school provides a clear set of values and standards to guide behaviour
The school recognises and reinforces the importance of relationships based on mutual respect
The school's focus is on the growth and development of the whole, unique child
Systems & Resources
I am strongly supported in my work by the school's parents
I feel physically safe and secure at the school
I have the time to do my job properly
Senior staffs are active in the school community
The school has effective behaviour management systems
The school has good teaching and support facilities
The school has suitable computing facilities and good technology
31 August, 2008
Working with Disruptive Students
By C.Radhakrishnan
As teachers, we often work with students who are uncooperative or disrupt other students. If you do not address this type of behavior quickly, it can lead to many problems. Here are some quick tips when confronted with disruptive students.
1. Know Your Students- Events outside of the classroom are the cause of most problems.
2. Use a Team Approach- Talk to other staff members that work with the student. See what works for them.
3. Don't Embarrass Students- This will only lead to more problems.
4. Model Behavior- Model the behavior you expect from your students.
5. Speak with Students Privately- It's best to approach students outside of the places they are seeking attention or being disruptive.
As teachers, we often work with students who are uncooperative or disrupt other students. If you do not address this type of behavior quickly, it can lead to many problems. Here are some quick tips when confronted with disruptive students.
1. Know Your Students- Events outside of the classroom are the cause of most problems.
2. Use a Team Approach- Talk to other staff members that work with the student. See what works for them.
3. Don't Embarrass Students- This will only lead to more problems.
4. Model Behavior- Model the behavior you expect from your students.
5. Speak with Students Privately- It's best to approach students outside of the places they are seeking attention or being disruptive.
29 August, 2008
CAN CREATIVITY BE TAUGHT?
From: www.selfimprovementsguide.com
Creativity is not something that can be taught. Many individuals say that creativity is a trait only a selected few are born with, that it is not something taught because, like physical beauty, it is a gift, a privilege, something that is influence and born by circumstance and other positive preceding factors, instead of something that is introduced only after a person is born.
However, there are different schools of thought to this matter, especially as the world advances and we begin to see people develop their creative faculties and excel only later in life, when they haven't shown any tinge of creativity at all in their earlier days.
Some proponents of the idea that creativity is something that can be taught and learned assert that a person's environment, orientation and background are the ones responsible for diminishing or enhancing one's creativity.
On the other hand, fans of the conservative idea that creativity is innate say that such factors like orientation and environment are merely tools to enhance creativity and that their presence would amount to nothing if there is no creativity to hone in the first place.
This issue has long been the topic of debate among many scientific and social experts all over the world. Some people say perhaps the differences lie in the fact that creativity is an all too general concept that encompasses a variety of ideas and occurences that people have varying definitions for it. What may be an indication of creativity for one may not be so for another.
For this article, however, for the sake of uniformity, we will be tackling creativity as a factor of imagination and innovation.
If creativity, then, is a component of innovation, then perhaps it is something that can be taught and learned in schools and at home. This is because it is seen as an ability to adapt to changes and adjust to them.
When we were born, while we had been equipped with rational faculties, none of these would have been of any use had we not been taught how to use them properly. Therefore, while we were born with certain traits that would make us creative, they would be for naught if no form of education or teaching were involved in the process.
Upon birth, we were unaware of what the future held for us. Because of this lack of knowledge about future occurrences, all our parents and schools could do was to teach us to be resilient and how to think for ourselves, in order to have the ability to make unique decisions when the need arises. We were not taught early on how to respond to changes. What we taught then was how to be creative and innovative amid behavioural and environment shifts. That being said, yes, creativity can be taught after all.
Today's trend of using standardized tests to determine a person's creativity is not only very wrong, but actually very limiting and stifling. This is because nobody can really measure how creative a person can be, because this faculty only surfaces when particular situations come up. And because incidents do not happen to everyone, creativity is difficult to measure. So, given this, who is to say who is creative and who is not?
The argument on whether creativity can or cannot be taught is a bottomless pit. For some, education has worked. For others, education is seen as merely a tool.
However which way you choose to see it, you should appreciate that you were born human and given the ability to understand and engage in such debates. It can go on forever. It may not even eventually find a consensus. Ironically, that's where your creativity comes in – in your response to the issue and your decision on how to deal with it. Confusing, isn't it?
Christine P Gray is a recognized authority on the subject of creativity. Her website www.selfimprovementsguide.com provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you will need to know about self improvement.
Creativity is not something that can be taught. Many individuals say that creativity is a trait only a selected few are born with, that it is not something taught because, like physical beauty, it is a gift, a privilege, something that is influence and born by circumstance and other positive preceding factors, instead of something that is introduced only after a person is born.
However, there are different schools of thought to this matter, especially as the world advances and we begin to see people develop their creative faculties and excel only later in life, when they haven't shown any tinge of creativity at all in their earlier days.
Some proponents of the idea that creativity is something that can be taught and learned assert that a person's environment, orientation and background are the ones responsible for diminishing or enhancing one's creativity.
On the other hand, fans of the conservative idea that creativity is innate say that such factors like orientation and environment are merely tools to enhance creativity and that their presence would amount to nothing if there is no creativity to hone in the first place.
This issue has long been the topic of debate among many scientific and social experts all over the world. Some people say perhaps the differences lie in the fact that creativity is an all too general concept that encompasses a variety of ideas and occurences that people have varying definitions for it. What may be an indication of creativity for one may not be so for another.
For this article, however, for the sake of uniformity, we will be tackling creativity as a factor of imagination and innovation.
If creativity, then, is a component of innovation, then perhaps it is something that can be taught and learned in schools and at home. This is because it is seen as an ability to adapt to changes and adjust to them.
When we were born, while we had been equipped with rational faculties, none of these would have been of any use had we not been taught how to use them properly. Therefore, while we were born with certain traits that would make us creative, they would be for naught if no form of education or teaching were involved in the process.
Upon birth, we were unaware of what the future held for us. Because of this lack of knowledge about future occurrences, all our parents and schools could do was to teach us to be resilient and how to think for ourselves, in order to have the ability to make unique decisions when the need arises. We were not taught early on how to respond to changes. What we taught then was how to be creative and innovative amid behavioural and environment shifts. That being said, yes, creativity can be taught after all.
Today's trend of using standardized tests to determine a person's creativity is not only very wrong, but actually very limiting and stifling. This is because nobody can really measure how creative a person can be, because this faculty only surfaces when particular situations come up. And because incidents do not happen to everyone, creativity is difficult to measure. So, given this, who is to say who is creative and who is not?
The argument on whether creativity can or cannot be taught is a bottomless pit. For some, education has worked. For others, education is seen as merely a tool.
However which way you choose to see it, you should appreciate that you were born human and given the ability to understand and engage in such debates. It can go on forever. It may not even eventually find a consensus. Ironically, that's where your creativity comes in – in your response to the issue and your decision on how to deal with it. Confusing, isn't it?
Christine P Gray is a recognized authority on the subject of creativity. Her website www.selfimprovementsguide.com provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you will need to know about self improvement.
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