Tag: <span>Tips</span>

15 May

Tips For Winning a Science Fair Project With a Rock Set

Collecting rocks is a popular hobby that kids and adults can enjoy together. More than just a fun activity, rock collecting is a great way to study rocks and geology. It can also make a great science fair project. This article provides tips on how to win a science fair project with an amazing rock set.

Rock collecting can be done for fun or for learning or both at the same time. Many children return from the beach or park with a pocketful of assorted rocks, drawn to shapes, colors, and textures. Taking a more systematic approach to rock collecting can help kids take their fun to another level while they also discover the underlying geology.

For a science fair project, it’s more impressive if the student has collected many samples in person. It makes for interesting stories to include in the presentation. Photos of the adventure mounted to a foam board or set in a photo album can help tell the story.

To collect your own rock set, you will need to choose a good location for the hunt. Check local geological maps and look for hills, cliffs, beaches, and quarries. Pick up interesting rocks on trips. When collecting in person, label each sample with a number and location to help later identification. If using a rock hammer to collect samples, wear goggles and gloves.

However, not everyone has time to collect their own rock set. The good news is you don’t have to collect your own because you can purchase a rock set containing just about any kind of rocks you could ever find on your own. For many busy families, a store-bought rock set provides a good place to start.

To win a science fair project, your rock set should include examples of all three rock types as listed below. There are three types of rock categorized by formation:

o Igneous

o Sedimentary

o Metamorphic

Igneous rocks form from cooling magma, or molten rock. Volcanic or extrusive rocks result from volcanic activity at the Earth’s surface and fast cooling of lava. The rapid cooling produces fine-grained rocks like obsidian and basalt. Plutonic or intrusive rocks form beneath the surface, from slowly cooled magma. These rocks, like pumice and granite are typically rougher and have larger crystals.

Sedimentary rocks form through deposition in water. Small rock particles are eroded and accumulate in lakes, oceans, and rivers. Over time, these particles settle in layers and compress into rock, such as sandstone, limestone, and chalk.

Metamorphic rocks are igneous or sedimentary rocks that have undergone extreme pressure and temperature conditions, resulting in new forms. Marble forms from limestone, while quartzite develops from quartz.

For a winning science fair project, consider using a rock tumbler to polish some of the samples. Rock tumblers smooth rocks by moving them around in grit and other polishing compounds. Rocks of a similar hardness should be polished together, so first identify and classify samples on the Mohs scale. The process takes about a month, starting with a rough grind to smooth edges and moving to finer grit and polish with each step. Follow all tumbler directions for the best results. Careful recording of the amounts and types of rock, polishing materials, and duration will create an informative science fair project. Note any changes in the tumbler contents or actions taken to improve the process.

All of the tips provided so far are essential for winning a science fair project. However, if you really want to take your project to a higher level, you’ll need to become fluent in speaking rock talk. This is what separates the true rock lovers from the more casual passers-by. You’ll need to dig a bit (no pun intended) into the science of how rocks are formed. Often rocks are made up of several minerals. Once a child knows how rocks and minerals form, finding different types becomes easier. Understanding chemistry is useful. Elements such as carbon, iron, and fluorine are the simplest building blocks of minerals. A specific combination of elements forms a mineral, such as quartz or mica. Minerals have characteristic crystalline structures made up of repeating elements. Kids enjoy identifying minerals with a rock set and tools to test hardness. The systematic approach involves looking at the streak color left by a rock, along with its ability to scratch glass or be scratched by a metal probe. All this extra knowledge will make your science fair project more impressive while building your own knowledge, understanding and appreciation for rocks.



Source by Joe Kanooga

21 Apr

10 Tips for Happier Holidays

Thanksgiving is literally around the corner. Where did this year go? This question is being asked by me daily now. I was driving to meet my husband for dinner Monday night and some precious soul (over-achiever) already had their Christmas lights up. That was a whole new level of pressure, the likes of which I had never before experienced. Yes, The entire house and yard decorated for Christmas by November 15th. Seriously, who does this?

Rick and I have hosted holiday gatherings of 150+ people and had as many as 7 trees up when we decorated, but never have we decorated prior to the day afterThanksgiving. I mean why would we, when we had the option of staying up until 5am the night before an event: cooking, cleaning, and decorating and did I mention arguing about nearly everything.

Ok, so maybe somewhere between is a balance. I was always a last minute kind of girl. I swore I worked better under pressure. I know now that was utter nonsense. I now strive for balance in everything I do; Holidays especially.

Here are 10 tips to keep this Holiday season balanced for you and your loved ones.

  • Maintain a regular sleeping, eating and exercising schedule. There are plenty of other changes in your life during this time. Try to keep these schedules consistent.
  • Limit Alcohol. I know, I know… aren’t the holidays about celebrating? They are and I am not saying forgo the holiday cheer, just limit it. Alcohol dehydrates, depletes vitamin B and ultimately it is a depressant.
  • Get organized. Keep a calendar or master list for all that you need to do. Stress causes short-term memory glitches (I have been to the grocery store 6 times for vinegar over the last 4 weeks, no lie.) Next time, grocery list.
  • Know your budget and live within it. Set a budget and spend only that amount. Better if you spend cash and enter the new year with no new debt. Sparkly lights, festive music and the desire to make others happy should not create financial stress you will have to endure well past December.
  • Be realistic. Stop putting pressure on yourself to create the “perfect” holiday for your family and friends. Focus on what makes the time special for you. If you know Uncle Bob is going to get tanked and start talking politics and guns after dessert, and that makes you uncomfortable; then set limits on your visit. Perhaps some pumpkin pie to go is not a bad thing.
  • Learn to say no. Say no to things that will not bring you joy so you have time, energy, and room for the things that will. A slice of fruitcake, NO thank you. Some cheesecake, YES please!
  • Work in some “Me” time. Focus on your needs and feelings, take time and honor them. Meditation, yoga, a long walk or a cup of herbal tea can be a wonderful break from your day and your challenges.
  • Reconnect with those who feed your spirit. Your college roommate, the maid of honor in your wedding, your great-aunt Kathie; you know who they are. You love them and spending time with them. Phone, visit or if all else fails email. Just make an effort to reconnect.
  • Buddy up. Gift wrapping parties, cookie exchanges, pot luck meals. Share the tasks and make it fun, perhaps this is a new tradition in the making and less work for you.
  • Get support if you need it. The holidays can be painful for many people and many reasons. You don’t have to go through this alone. Ask for support, you deserve to Live-Joy-Fully.



Source by Kimberly Rinaldi

18 Apr

8 Confident-Boosting Tips To Prepare For The GED Test

Are you planning to take the GED test? If so, the first thing you would want to consider is to prepare yourself for it. You have various options for an effective GED test prep program. Attending adult classes is one of them. However, you might be uncomfortable studying with other students, or the night schedule might be impossible to fit in your routine. The best and primary choice that you basically want to keep to is to study on your own, in the comfort of your home.

Fret not. There is a solution to your dilemma. It’s perfectly understandable because research has shown that the most motivated students do self-study for their exams. Here are 8 tips to take into account for your personal GED test prep program.

  • Know your state’s requirements for taking the GED. Before you begin with your test prep, initially determine what your state’s requirements are for taking a GED credential. This is the first thing that you have to ascertain so that you don’t end up spending money for unnecessary test prep what-nots.
  • Choose an effective test prep study guide. Try searching in your local library or bookstore. You’ll find that there is a wide selection of review materials that teach different approaches to studying for the GED. Browse through materials that interest you, or flip through the first few pages and chapters. Pick a book that you feel you can respond better to. Then again, note that GED review books from these sources could be costly. In this case, you can purchase from a used book store or the Internet. Otherwise, you can utilize a reliable online GED test prep and study guide.
  • Participate in an online GED class. You can refer to a trusted and credible GED online class website to join a thriving community of test takers just like you. The best part of this is that it is for free. Joining an online class gives you the privacy to study at home and at your own pace. In the same way as studying on your own online, you’ll be taking the GED test in person, in a computer in an accredited testing center.
  • Create your own space or corner for studying. Your study corner should allow you the comfort and privacy of studying by yourself for as long as you want. No distractions from your spouse, siblings, friends, children or pets.
  • Be in the know about what you’ll encounter in the test. What topics are found in the GED test? You have to search for more information about it. This way, you can figure out what subjects you need to study about. In the same way, take GED practice tests so that you can decipher which subjects you are bad and good at. Respectively, you have to concentrate on boosting your knowledge on your weak points.
  • Note down your questions and take paper and online practice tests. What questions and facts do you keep missing? Write them down in your notebook. Take written and online practice tests so you can gauge where you are at in the moment. This method will enhance your confidence, too, because it will orient you to what goes on in the actual GED test. Thus, you can do away with the dreadful test anxiety.
  • When you feel that you are ready, register in your local testing center. Remember that there is no accredited website that offers the GED test. You have to take the computerized GED test personally in a certified testing center.
  • Relax and take your test. Don’t stress yourself when taking the GED exam. Relax and take it easy. It is essential to be dedicated and committed to your test prep so that you can be confident in taking your exam. Believe in yourself and that you can pass the GED test with flying colors.



Source by Winnie Custodio

25 Mar

Survive the Cafeteria and Have a Healthy College Diet With These 5 Tips

Living in the dorms and getting a healthy college diet at the cafeteria can be a serious challenge. Many students put on the freshman 15 or more, and the caf food is at least partially to blame. There are plenty of unhealthy choices in the caf and this leads to an improper diet. If you want to improve your diet and lose some weight, here are 5 tips for cafeteria survival:

1. Don’t take a tray

Nutritionists agree that eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day is better for your weight than eating 1-3 large ones. Grabbing a tray is counterproductive because you can fit a lot on a tray, like a dinner plate, dinner roll, desert plate, and beverages. Skip the tray and just grab the plate and silverware. Fill up the plate with a decent lunch or dinner and go to your seat and set it down. You can head back up for your beverages. This is a fool-proof way to stick to eating small meals.

2. Unlimited meal plan

Building on what I mentioned above, you want to eat several small meals per day on a healthy college diet. Make sure that you have enough access to stop for at least 3 meals before the caf closes, and maybe even run through for a snack. It depends on how your school runs its meal system, but if you only have access to 10 meals per week in the caf, this is going to lead to eating large meals, fast food, or unhealthy snacks in between meals.

3. What to eat for breakfast

A healthy college diet must include breakfast. Studies show that people who eat breakfast daily are thinner than people who don’t. Choose a breakfast with lean protein, complex carbs, and fiber.

4. Beverage choice

The cafeteria has many sugary soft-drinks available. Try to avoid these, since they will add a lot of unwanted calories and processed sugar to your diet. Try to stick with water, milk, and limited amounts of real fruit juice.

5. What to avoid

Some things to try to avoid as much as possible for a healthy college diet:

  • The desert tray and desert freezer
  • Bagels
  • French fries
  • The waffle bar
  • The soft-serve ice cream machine
  • Fountain pops
  • Doughnuts
  • Desert pastries
  • Sugary cereal



Source by Scott Kae

19 Mar

ISEE – 5 Useful ISEE Tips

1. Don’t Study Above Your Level

There are three levels of tests that comprise the ISEE — lower, middle, and upper. Often, a test preparation company will advertise “ISEE Preparation” without specifying the level — this usually means upper-level only! Don’t study above your level! Students who should be preparing for the lower level ISEE should not be struggling to understand concepts that apply only to upper-level students! Instead of searching for ISEE preparation, search for your specific level, i.e. “ISEE Lower Level Preparation.” Which test your student needs to be take depends on the grade he or she is entering. Prospective fifth and sixth graders take the lower level; students entering seventh and eighth grade take the middle level; students seeking admission to high school (ninth through twelfth grades) take the upper level test. Parents might be tempted to help their students for a test above their level, in hopes that the content covered on the lower tests will be superseded by the more difficult material. Unfortunately, this isn’t always true. According to the ERB, who administers the test, it’s best to prepare for your own test level.

2. Begin Studying Early

Like any other exam, the ISEE requires diligent and steady practice to master. The best way to prepare your child is to begin early. Studies have consistently shown that it’s important to begin studying well in advance and not to cram. To begin, you should read What to Expect on the ISEE, a free guide issued by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) which administers the exam. After this, you should begin working with your student at home and research various professional ISEE lower/mid/upper-level preparation courses. Don’t leave preparation to the last moment!

3. Know What’s on the Test in Advance

Standardized tests like the ISEE, with all the pressure and constraints they place upon the test-taker, are challenging. Why not make it easier by knowing what’s going to be on the test in advance? There are five sections on the ISEE: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension, mathematics achievement, and an essay. Each section has a limited scope that is outlined in the ERB’s What to Expect on the ISEE. By knowing what material is covered on the exam, you can help your student focus their study to do their best on the ISEE. If your child needs help with specific topics, you should consider seeking professional test preparation, preferably a company which specializes in the correct level of the ISEE, to help make the most of your child’s educational opportunities.

4. Take Practice Tests

While studying the material on the test is an essential part of any preparation program, students must also be ready for the restrictions and time limits the ISEE imposes upon test-takers. Many test-takers face difficulty when timed or under pressure. The best way to mitigate anxiety and nervousness is to become comfortable with the structure of the test by taking many practice exams which reflect the structure of the real test-timed, without calculators, etc. Professional ISEE test preparation can be very helpful in this regard, but be conscious of whether companies use real ISEE exams or simulated ones. The makers of the ISEE limit access to good preparation materials; consequently, many third-party books available on the Internet and through some companies will attempt to simulate test questions — but in the end there is no substitute for the real thing. The best preparation materials will come from established test preparation companies like Testmasters, Kaplan, or Princeton Review, which have a history of helping people prepare for the ISEE.

5. Practice Writing Essays

Even though the ISEE essay is ungraded, your student’s ISEE essay plays a critical role in the admissions process and cannot be neglected. The essay is sent on to the schools the student is applying to, where it is read by admissions committees. These committees will primarily be looking at the levels of maturity and organization displayed by your student’s essay; admissions officers will be most impressed by how clearly and coherently a student can communicate with written English. Another tip: don’t be negative! Nobody will admit a candidate who talks about how much he hates school, no matter how well the essay is written. Use practice essays from the ERB to start off with; consider ISEE test preparation programs that can provide professional feedback and guidance on essays.



Source by Andrew Thatcher

23 Feb

New Teachers – Lecture Tips That Will Keep Students Interested

You’ve all seen the Charlie Brown episode where the teacher is lecturing and all the students hear is “wa wa wa wa wa wa.” We remember watching that as kids. Unfortunately, seeing this as kids taught us that this was what school was like. Now, as we are adult teachers, we are constantly afraid of becoming the teacher from Charlie Brown. Well, what if we could avoid this? What if we could use this knowledge to create inspiring and organized lectures using Best Practices? I have developed 6 tips for you to help you in creating fun and memorable lectures that will leave your students with long lasting knowledge.

1. Create an objective. We have heard this before from our administrators. Often times we hear this when the administrators come to observe us in the classroom. Write your objective on the board! Say it at the beginning of class! Say it at the end of class! Well, they’re right! By telling the students what they are to be learning and why they are learning, they are more apt to pay attention and way more apt to remember what you’re talking about. It will also help them when coming up with what they should actually be writing down.

2. Have your students do something productive. Your students should not be just sitting there. If you are engaged in best practices, your students should be doing something active with their learning while they are listening to your lecture. More often than not, this means that they will need to be taking notes. But give them structure. Maybe this meaning Cornell notes or maybe it’s powernotes. It’s your call!

3. Break it up. Break your lecture up into different segments. I would say no more than 4 or 5. This way, those who have difficulties processing long bits of information will be able to compartmentalize what you are telling them easier.

4. Separate the sections with different activities. Throughout your lecture, break up your talking by having the students do different activities. For example, have students turn to a near by partner and repeat the top 5 parts of the lecture they have heard so far. Doing this will help them to remember because they are actively participating.

5. Have them repeat through questioning. As you lecture, don’t just talk. Question your students. Question them on different background knowledge that they will know information about. Tapping into this will help them to succeed in acquiring new knowledge.

6. Wrap it up effectively. At the end of your lecture have your students do something with the information. Perhaps its a quick little quiz on the board. Perhaps they will write a paragraph summary.

Whatever you lecture about, make sure to follow these 6 tips to have your students remain actively engaged. This will increase their knowledge and participation. No Charlie Brown Effect here!



Source by Mackenzie Kerby

20 Feb

Stress – Simple Tips To Reduce Stress Quickly & Easily

We all know the word stress and most of us know when we are being stressed, but do you know the symptoms that show you are over stressed?

If you do, and can spot them early and there are some exercises and techniques explained below that can let you beat them before you need medication.

The Stress Symptoms

Almost always when you are being stressed, you will notice a tightening of your muscles, usually in the hands and arms, sometimes the legs and feet.

Your blood pressure will rise, and your skin temperature will as well. These are normal responses from your natural “fight or flight” reflex.

If you are a bit observant and watch yourself carefully, you can identify these stress responses by your body.

Short-Term Stress is Good. Long-Term Stress is Deadly

If the above stress responses occur because you are in some sort of danger, and you have to protect yourself (by fighting or fleeing), then the stress is good. However they must be controlled.

A good example is being in a long line at the airport, with a nasty airline employee greeting you after your turn finally comes. The employee can stress you to very high limits, and you need all your self-control.

You will see your stress symptoms appearing.

Your quick reaction is needed. You must assert yourself, and get the employee to do their job, and quickly, and politely.

Your fighting will be by mental means, and verbal delivery. This short-term stress was a good thing.

Your body’s reactions were healthy for you, and all your natural anti-oxidants raced throughout your body to clear up any free radicals that were present.

However, if you suffer the above symptoms from an aggressive boss or co-worker at work on a daily basis, you are heading for real trouble.

Daily stress will:

o Weaken your immune system.

o Cause various organs to malfunction or fail.

o Produce undesired chemicals (hormones and enzymes) in your system.

Eventually you will become ill if you subject yourself to a daily stress that has the ability to produce stressor-reactions.

De-Stress! And Beat Stress

If you understand that your stress is becoming chronic, you must begin to de-stress at the sign of the first symptoms.

It’s easy; anyone can do it, anywhere. Follow these steps exactly, you will de-stress at once.

o Initial deep breathing. Stop a moment, whatever you are doing, and take three deep and profound breaths. Close your eyes and visualize the air racing into your lungs with healing energy, and racing out of your lungs with stress-filled spent energy.

o Withdraw! Wherever you are, there will be a restroom. Go there at once. Wash your face and especially your wrists with cold water. Feel the cold water bringing you balance (from the overheating the stress causes). Your skin temperature will actually drop! While you are alone, deep breathe as in the next step

o Take three more deep breathes, but this time, double the inhalation response and the exhalation response. This is done by taking a double breathe, one short, followed by a longer breath. The exhalation is the same, double. At the end of three deep double breathes, you will be back to normal.

o The last step is to wait. Feeling calmer, sit down (a toilet is an ideal place) and wait about 3 minutes. Feel yourself getting back to normal.

You are ready to face the world again, de-stressed. Remember, do these exercises each time you feel a prolonged stress, as the short stress is good for you, but long term stress is a killer. Look after yourself!



Source by Sacha Tarkovsky

17 Feb

Study Tips To Help You Prepare Better For Exams

The academic world is becoming tougher by the day and students have exams, homework, assignments, project and a variety of other co-curricular and extracurricular activities to worry about. Even though a student may be well prepared for an exam, he/she may not score well and this is perhaps due to improper planning. Here are a few tips to help students prepare for exams better and ace them.

You cannot dispense with planning

Most students don’t give this aspect much thought and dive right in and study in a haphazard fashion. It is imperative to plan, draw a schedule and revisit it from time to time. During the planning phase, there are a couple of things to keep in mind such as:

  • Preferred study time and medium (some students prefer reading at night while some like to read early in the morning. Similarly, some students prefer self studywhile others take help from online math tutors and others for tough subjects and so on).
  • Take note of the volume of material to be covered and the familiarity of the topics involved and then devise a plan.
  • Allotting sufficient number of days/hours for complex topics
  • Planning for the revision and making some room for catchall (it is very hard to stick right to schedule and be always on track. It is important to provide some room for catch up to make up for sick days, lazy ones, etc.)
  • Making a realistic plan with realistic targets, so that there isn’t much pressure or deviation.

Stick to the plan and do not procrastinate

It is quite easy to make unrealistic schedules and be vigorous in the planning stage. However, it is very difficult to execute even the best made plans. Discipline is required for this; motivation is yet another aspect that can keep you going.

Make notes and use them

It is important to take notes and note down details that can help you revise the topic at hand. These will serve as a good source for the revision just before exams and you may also choose to go through them the next day so as to check if you have learnt the topic well. If you are studying math with an online math tutor, you could record the sessions and play them back during revision or when a particular topic is confusing.

Do not employ popular techniques, use what works for you

It is quite easy to follow the herd and employ the techniques that are popular to help you study. While some people concentrate better with music in the background, some study better in classes, some in their rooms and so on; it is imperative to figure out what works for you and then use that technique.

It is OK to fall a little bit behind schedule

Freaking out when you are behind schedule is quite normal; however, put those catchall days to good use and don’t panic in case you are a little bit. Always revisit your schedule/plans every once in a while to track progress and make adjustments. Even if you have been methodical and sticking to your plan, you may have estimated a particular topic to take 2 days while it might have stretched to 3 in reality. There is no need to frantically rush up studying in such cases; this is why you should plan ahead and make room for catchall.

Even if you read just a little, make sure it counts

It is important to have productive study sessions. You may have read just a couple of pages and yet if you understood them completely, it is way better than going through whole chapters without understanding them.

Take mock tests and evaluate yourself honestly

Take tests with complete sincerity, evaluate yourself and identify weak areas. Once this is done, you can work on them and better yourself. This is especially important for subjects like math and physics and in this regard an online math tutor or a physics one can help you. In fact, there are even free tests available online that you can take up and evaluate.

Most importantly, keep yourself hydrated, eat well and get lots of sleep. These tips are sure to help you score better.



Source by Sunil D. Kumar

11 Feb

10 Tips For Teaching Middle School Math

As a teacher for 11 years and middle-school math teaching consultant, I’ve seen a wide array of different math programs and classes. I’m sharing here the 10 best teaching tips I’ve compiled over the years.

1. Provide compelling content to study.

Years ago, a colleague I was working with said, “Maybe class can be fun, but I can’t make class compelling. I have to teach math!” It’s an assumption worth exploring.

Take Ron Berger’s middle-school math project to study levels radon in their own homes. Studying radon is boring. But Berger’s class project has got to be one of the most compelling projects in math class history. What if his students discovered dangerous levels of radon in the homes of one geographic area and published the results as they had intended? What would happen to real estate values in that area? What he found is that students were highly engaged in mapping, taking averages, looking at standard deviations- students that heretofore didn’t care one bit about radon or the other concepts.

So what’s the trick? The trick is that there isn’t one. You can’t trick students into finding something compelling if it isn’t. Take a little bit of time to develop a few topics of study throughout the year that you find compelling- the Economy, the Presidential Campaigns, the Human Body, etc. Find an authentic way to present your result- the paper, the web, a magazine. Keep the project small, authentic and do-able.

Students of teachers that do take this kind of time have better outcomes on state tests than students of teachers who only stick to the text. Almost any social studies context provides a backdrop for learning that adds depth.

Even teachers who hold a math “topics” class only once a month see real benefits, so you don’t have to abandon your regular class. And, you’ll find that students are more engaged when regular class is held.

If you want to go really deep and have solid administrator support, look into the school reform movement of Expeditionary Learning Schools who have an excellent approach to thematic teaching.

2. Don’t use extraneous rewards such as candy, purchase points, stickers, etc.

There is nothing more certain than seeing the culture of a math class decline over a period of years when a teacher bribes them. The intent of the teacher, of course, is good. A teacher cares about his or her students and wants the very best for them. “I don’t care how they learn math,” one teacher said to me. “I just want them to learn it so that they are prepared.” The teacher cared enough to purchase candy out of her own pocket, but the real message to students is this: the “positive reinforcement” of candy means “math isn’t worth doing on its own.” The research is clear on the matter too, and shows us that extrinsic, non-relevant rewards hurt learning.

Even if the effects aren’t immediate, over time so called “positive reinforcements” like these mentioned above erode an otherwise high-quality math program. As a teacher, you are much better off trying to create inherently compelling curriculum than buying candy.

3. Build a culture where students teach each other.

For many teachers, one student helping another is called cheating. But I actually found that the better middle-school math programs all encouraged students to team together at certain times throughout the week. The activities were usually graded as complete or not-complete, and when tied to meaningful tasks, such as building a survey together and collecting original data, student comprehension was greater than on individual tasks.

Building the kind of culture that works for student pairs or groups takes years and lots of practice. But before you give up and decide it doesn’t work, determine if you are following tips #1 and #2 first.

4. Give less, but more meaningful work, including homework.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study labels the curriculum in the United States as “a mile wide and an inch deep.” Their review of math texts in middle-school found that some were almost 700 pages long. With heavy pressure to teach to the standards, as a teacher you might be tempted to skip and jump to many topics throughout the text. Don’t. It achieves little learning.

Choose the most important pieces before the beginning of the year, and keep it simple. Teach the concepts you do teach with depth.

The national advisory counsel formed from the study recommended “put first things first” and suggested that indeed, less is more. Take the time to cull the curriculum to a manageable size for your students, and present them with only that. If you have to “cover” standards, find out what standards and document when you indeed teach them in class. You’ll find that teaching with depth often reaches to a broad array of standards.

It’s helpful to know what’s driving the breadth. As the national study panel concurs, publishers are trying to meet demands of hundreds of different districts by including everything that any school might want. And while publishers have been attempting custom publishing, it is just as difficult to create a math curriculum for a small district as a large one. Thus, the challenges of book publishing lead to a single, uniformly created overarching textbook. Often this is a very large text or an entire series.

In the classroom, teachers and students become overwhelmed and unable to handle the scope or breadth of learning in this form. As teachers, we have to recognize that predominantly negative emotions surround math in middle-school, and that anything we can reduce those emotions will go a long way toward gains in learning learning. Placing a 500 page text in front of a 7th grade student is unlikely to help, so use it sparingly and build little, home-made notebooks for daily use.

5. Model thinking, not solutions or answers.

Don’t show a student how to solve something. Instead “think aloud”. For example, you might have a whiteboard with a problem up, and start by saying, “o.k., I notice that the 4 numbers I am to sum are all in the thousands category, and that the first is near 3,000, the second near 5,000, and the third… I am confused about…” Model exactly what you thinking including confusion, emotions, skills, strategies and more.

When you do this, also let your students know how mathematicians think. One piece of research that is helpful to know is that mathematicians spend a long time thinking about how to set up a problem, a little bit of time doing the problem, and a long time “looking back” by asking the question, “Does this make sense?’ Model that for your students, by putting up a complex problem on the board and spending time not just jumping into a solution, but just talking about what strategies you might use to solve the problem.

6. Provide feedback that is immediate, relevant to the task, non-comparative, and leads the way to next steps.

Many teachers believe that grading is a form of feedback. It isn’t. Grading, when done well, can be a form of assessment of learning, but the distinction should be clear. Grades are not an effective tool as assessment for learning. Grades are the end of the road, when you assess what has been learned, but they should not be intended to inform a student where to go next.

Take, for example, three groups of students who received different kinds of “feedback” on math papers they had “turned in.” The first group received only narrative feedback (no score) informing them where and how they made mistakes. The second group received a grade (or score) and narrative feedback. The third group received just a grade. Not surprisingly, the students who received narrative feedback improved when re-tested. Those who had received only a grade did not have the information to improve, and performed the same when re-tested. But here is the surprising part. There was no difference between “grade-only” group and the group that received the grade and narrative feedback. Why? The students who received both a grade and narrative feedback completely ignored the written suggestions and only looked at the score. “I got a blah, blah, blah… what did you get?”

Because we live in a world where grades and formalized assessments are so important, work with the system by differentiating assessment for learning and assessment of learning.

When you are grading, one guide is to reference Rick Stiggins strategies of assessment for learning. That way, when you are conducting an assessment of learning (i.e. grading), you’ll notice that you are momentarily stepping out of the role of improving a student’s learning and won’t have the conflict of trying to do two things at once.

7. Change mimeographed sheets to problems you and your students personally develop.

A pervasive aspect of our culture is to give out page after page of information. In faculty meetings, business meetings and conferences, hundreds of pages of documents are handed out. It makes us look organized and prepared. It’s also a way to “cover” content. But for a middle-school math student, it also makes it hard to determine what is important. Was it the fractions part? Was it the decimals section? Was it the number line? Was it the triangle puzzle problem? Was it the cartoon?

Instead of another mimeographed page, have your student write their own story problems. Tell them to add artwork for comprehension. Give them the latitude to make them fun. Celebrate them by posting them in class. Give them 5 home-made story problems they create for homework instead of a mimeographed sheet with 30 problems, and really dive into improving them through revision.

8. Use story to teach math.

Write a story, a real story with characters and plot, and add the math problem set. Write about wizards that need to use angles for their sorcery. Write about spice trading ships on the deep seas. Write a story that lasts a whole page before even getting to the math portion. You’ve engaged the right-side, or less analytical, part of the brain and you’ll see a powerful effect of enhanced engagement.

9. Get math tutor volunteers once a week for two-months before state testing.

As a teacher or administrator, spend time during the fall months by planning for and scheduling a single day each week during the months of February and March (right before testing) to have volunteers come in to teach math in small groups. But what’s nice is that if developed correctly, these volunteers don’t need to have any special training in math.

Start with a simple plan. Each student has 10 skills they have chosen to work on during the whole class tutoring session and have written down their practice problems in class. The phone calls are made, the specific planning with an administrator is done, and volunteers come in and help the students answer the 10 questions during class with support. Schedule tutoring once every week for two months before testing and see your scores greatly improve.

10. Work with the emotions your students have for math.

10a. Ask your students how they feel about math. Use a bit of class time periodically to gain a better sense of where they are. And, just let them feel how they feel. If they like math, they like it. If they are bored, empathize. If your students can’t stand math, you will gain far more ground by seeing their perspective than trying to prove they are wrong. As a teacher this is hard because we are so accustomed to trying to “fix” the situation, and of course, our ego is tied to student emotion. If our students are bored, we feel like we aren’t doing the right thing. But the larger truth is that there is an ebb and flow in all of us for the topics we are learning. When the boredom, frustration and negativity does emerge, try understanding it. Perhaps class does feel a little boring. That’s o.k. Sometimes it will. And then slowly, over a period of years, build those compelling pieces into your classes so that you punctuate boring times with excitement and joy.

10b. Go slowly. Changing the direction of your math class is like trying to change the direction of a large ship, especially when dealing with emotions. Even once everything is place for the changes to occur, you will notice the “ship’s” momentum going in the same old direction before you sense any real shifts. This is part of the process. It took me three years to develop a coherent math program at my middle-school and even then, we occasionally slipped in to old patterns. Good luck!



Source by Scott Laidlaw

24 Jan

10 Tips for Eliciting Extraordinary Efforts From Your Students

One of my “colleagues” got very angry with me one day (we taught courses that tended to share the same students). He said,

“Students don’t put out much effort in my class to get their assignments done because they say they have so much work to do for your class. You convince them that what you’re teaching is the most important!”

He continued to bluster for awhile longer (this wasn’t the first time he blustered at me).

It was a fascinating exchange (I did get to make a few comments). But I have never forgotten that experience because I have always believed that what I taught was the most important. Here are some questions that immediately come to mind that I think we all need to consider regarding our own teaching:

  • Didn’t he believe that what he taught was most important, too?
  • Why would you teach if you didn’t think that what you taught was important?
  • Why would you go to school long enough (and become poor enough in the process) to get a doctorate if you didn’t think that your discipline was important?

I did convince my students (not all, but most) to put forth extraordinary efforts. Even today, I see students who still tell me that they use ideas that they learned in my classes. Just this last weekend when I was at Costco, one of my former students was there and told me this – and she was one of my students nearly 20 years ago.

Here are ten tips for you to implement so you, too, can elicit extraordinary efforts from your students:

  1. Make your assignments relevant. Explain and reinforce your sense of the assignments’ relevance. so that students know you have been thoughtful about what you are asking them to do.
  2. Explain clearly what you want students to do. Don’t assume they understand or can “figure it out.” Help them understand.
  3. Provide rubrics, when appropriate. If you aren’t familiar with rubrics, check online and with your college’s teaching & learning center.
  4. Demonstrate that you care about the content you are teaching. Do this through your engagement, involvement, and commitment to what you do. Students sense whether you care of not – and it is more than just your words.
  5. Put forth extraordinary effort yourself. Every day. Whether you are in class or not.
  6. Have students from previous semesters provide written comments for incoming students. You can even have one semester’s students write letters, which are sealed, for the next semester’s students about how to succeed in your class.
  7. Provide timely feedback to students. Regardless of whether they are turning in weekly assignments or large projects, get them graded and returned to students quickly.
  8. Bring enthusiasm to the classroom about what you teach. Communicate passionately about why you ask students to work as hard as you do.
  9. Recognize that sometimes, you were wrong about what you had laid out in the syllabus. This can easily happen the first time you teach a course. It takes you longer to teach something than you had thought or you realize that the timeline expectations you had were overambitious. Acknowledge it and adjust for students. Better to recognize it yourself than have students begging or grousing around.
  10. Ask students for exemplars to use in future courses. Many students work well from models and just knowing what is possible is encouraging and challenging for many students.

Students actually want to do well. Ignite that desire in them and elicit excellence and extraordinary effort. It makes being a professor incredibly rewarding.



Source by Meggin McIntosh