Fascinating Rhythm for Preschool Language Learning

When Harvard Graduate School of Education professor, Jenny Thomson was asked for some ideas on how to help children with reading, her answer was for teachers to emphasize skills such as "syllable clapping and linking language and music." Like a happy preventative tonic for struggling readers, research indicates that these vital skills taught in early childhood can lay the groundwork for the subsequent steps of literacy acquisition.

Can simple rhythmic exercises in preschool really help a child improve learning skills?

According to Nina Kraus, a leading brain researcher at Northwestern University,
"music is a resource that tones the brain for auditory fitness." Early music training could be compared to a work-out for your brain, improving listening skills and listening ability.

The True Meaning of Memorial Day

The first official Memorial Day was observed on the 30th of May, 1868. Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, gave a general order to place flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Decoration Day, as it was called back then, was to be a day of unity and reconciliation to honor those who gave their all in what was at that time referred to as the Nation War.

It wasn't until after World War I that the holiday was changed to honor all those who died in war, instead of just the casualties of the Civil War. Even though it has been a federal holiday since 1971, there are still some states that either don't officially participate in the national Memorial Day or that do so in addition to a separate day honoring the Confederate war dead.

The Benefits of Shade Shelters for Schools

Children these days spend a lot of time indoors - most of which is in front of the television or computer. During school hours they are also inside the classroom, unable to experience the world outside. This has become an issue for many schools and nurseries who have chosen to take action in the form of school shelters to create an outdoor learning environment.

Year Round Usage

The British weather is often blamed for the lengthy hours children spend indoors, with days and sometimes even weeks going by when they aren't able to make the most of the fresh air outside. Shade outdoor shelters for schools can be used throughout the year, offering protection from the sun's harmful UV rays and also the rain when things turn a bit gloomy.

Learning About Dinosaurs - An Excellent Term Topic for Primary Schools

Dinosaurs as a Teaching Topic for Primary Schools

As young children move from nursery into the reception class at primary school they have to adapt to a more structured and formal type of learning. For teachers and other staff this can present quite a challenge, how to adapt a child's creative play to permit the child to develop through more structured, formal lessons.

Using dinosaurs as the subject for a term topic can help to bridge this gap successfully. Most children have a fascination for these long extinct monsters and readily involve themselves in the topic areas. Learning about dinosaurs allows a class to become involved in all sorts of themes and activities. These can be readily aligned to national curriculum teaching objectives and can address many different learning styles and needs.

How Do I Become a Private Tutor?

To become a tutor you must hold a degree or teacher's qualification. Many graduates find that tutoring in a subject that they have recently attained their degree in is a fantastic way to share their knowledge and provide up to date help with essay technique to revision tips. Tutoring also provides excellent experience in teaching on a one-to-one or small group basis so you can learn different ways in which students can be taught if you were to go on to apply for a teaching qualification. PGCE students also find that tutoring is a way to supplement their learning and enhance their teaching skills.

Many teachers, part-time teachers or retired teachers tutor as they have experience with the different syllabuses that are being taught in schools and can bring their experience to private tuition. Working as a tutor can also supplement your income especially around the exam period in January and May/June when the demand for tuition increases.

Creating A Revision Program - A Secondary School Model

As teachers, we know that many of our students perform well in class but fail to show the effect of that learning when it comes to assessment. This is especially true where students do traditional pen on paper examinations that contribute towards exit certificates and university entrance. Therefore, teachers need to teach their students how to prepare for examinations so that they can show the examiner what they do know not what they don't know.

One way you can do this is to create with your class a model revision program leading up to exam time and follow up and use the model with them.

Here is how I went about the process.

1. I set up my work program so that all the new teaching is completed at least two weeks before the examination.

Salary for Teaching English Abroad

Finding a job teaching English abroad is easy, and you don't even need to have any qualifications to apply. Depending on the country you choose to go to, you will be more likely to find a placement if you have a degree or a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) qualification. Even if it isn't a requirement, being in possession of one of these qualifications is likely to earn you a higher salary, particularly as you will be able to teach the higher classes, such as those learning advanced or business English.

If you are looking to teach English in a European country, then it is more likely that you will need a TEFL qualification in order to secure a job. The main requirement, however, is that you are a native English speaker.

Teaching English in Mexico - Your Four Options

As a foreign English teacher in Mexico, you really only have four different teaching options open to you. However, first you will need to ask yourself some serious questions about your abilities to speak Spanish, and answer them with the up-most honesty. Do you speak Spanish? What level is your Spanish? Could you explain an English class in Spanish? etc.

Options

1. If you do not speak Spanish, your only option is to work in one of the many Franchised English Schools, such as Harmon Hall, Quick Learning, Individual English, or Interlingua. They teach 100% in English, and offer their students no explication in Spanish. Working conditions are excellent, and teachers are usually either American or Canadian. Students get given an Internationally recognized English certificate at the end of their course. Pay is usually very low, although these schools do tend to pay at the end of each day.

Teaching Is a Performing Art

Teaching is a performing art. Like a performer, a teacher is on stage in front of an audience. The audience is made up of people with varying degrees of attention, interest or involvement.

In order for the teacher to be effective, she or he must be able to keep material fresh and energized even if the material (subject matter) has been used before and is no longer exciting for the teacher/performer.

Also, the teacher/performer must be able to treat each new class or new audience as "first nighter." That is how Broadway performers are able to put on 8 shows a week, sometimes for years, and still know that each audience is getting the best possible experience. Because for the people in any audience, it is first night for them!

Stress Management Tips for Teachers

The process of stress management is one of the keys for teachers to have a successful professional life. Although professional life provides numerous demands that can provide difficulties to handle, stress management provides a number of ways to manage anxiety. A number of stress situations which teachers have to face are: children negative attitude towards study, little authority to carry out their responsibilities, too heavy a work load, feel dissatisfaction of the conflicting demands of the colleagues and pupils, unfamiliar of the evaluation method of teaching and tutorial work, poor working conditions i.e., badly constructed building with inadequate sound proofing, high noise level and lower level of expenditures on educational equipments.

Fortunately there are a lot of stress management techniques which are helpful for teachers to improve their performance. Here are some stress management tips.

1.Avoid over work, particularly when tired

Classroom Charts - A Sure Way To Increasing General Knowledge of Kids

The ways we use space in our classrooms is extremely important. Teachers are starting to realize that the way charts are placed all around the classroom has a deep impact on the kids' learning processes. Many educational experts and psychologists have sworn by this fact for years and now their theory is being placed into widespread use with outstanding results. Prospective and upcoming teachers should heed to the following tips which will help them to know how to optimize their classrooms, by leveraging the link between their wall chart displays in imparting and promoting great learning techniques.

Since time immemorial, humans have had intuitive relationship with the spaces that surround us directly and their effect on us. But very few people are aware of how much of an impact our surroundings have on human behavioral patterns and feelings. Many of the cafe, shops and restaurants you visit draws you in regularly because of their expert utilization of spaces and objects. You feel comfortable, excited, interested or inspired depending on the place in question.

The Answer To The Educational Crisis Is Creative, Passionate, Happy Teachers

I come from a long line of teachers. These women were creative, passionate, joyful, multidimensional human beings out of necessity. That's what it takes to be a really good teacher, and they were some of the best. They loved their students and their work. They believed in the children they taught. My grandmother taught in a one room school house when she was a young woman in Iowa. I loved listening to her stories and
all the different things she had going on in one room with children of so many different ages and abilities.

When I was in graduate school I would tell her that it sounded impossible to do the things she did with so many children. Grandma Rose would laugh deep and often. She would tell me her favorite saying "Life is messy and chaotic at best". She also said teaching reminded her of riding a roller coaster. Sometimes its easy. Sometimes its scary. But it is always thrilling and joyful if you just hang on and go for the ride.

What Is TEFL Course?

TEFL course is a course for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It has been created by the American TESOL Institute, ATI, to groom teachers for teaching English to people for whom it is a foreign language. TESOL is an acronym for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. There are 2 terms under this umbrella TESL & TEFL; Teaching English as a Second Language & Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

TESL will be useful if you wish to teach English to people who speak it as a second language, the mother tongue being their first language. Whereas, TEFL course is perfect for teaching those people who do not speak English on a daily basis. The TESOL course offered by ATI covers both these aspects.

ATI is a globally recognised institute for its pioneer work inTEFL courses. A TESOL or TEFL Certification will make you eligible to teach anywhere in the world. In today';s global market, the demand for English is ever-increasing, especially in the South-East of Asia.

Teaching English As Second Language

TESOL is an acronym for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. There are 2 terms under this umbrella - TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) & TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). A course in TESL will be useful if you wish to teach English to people who speak it as a second language, the mother tongue being their first language. Whereas, TEFL course is perfect for teaching those people for whom English is a foreign language.

In today's global market, the demand for English teachers is ever-increasing, especially in South-East Asia. Countries like China, Japan, Thailand and Singapore offer high remuneration to people holding a TEFL certification. The prospect for ESL (English as a Second Language) jobs is very good in India right now. India is one of the largest English speaking countries in the world, where English has become indispensable. It is truly our second Lang & there are many Indians whose English is better than their mother tongue. A TESL Certification will open the door to teaching English for you.

Teachers and Tips For Preparing Examinations

Learning to write effective examinations and other assessment tasks is one of a teacher's most demanding tasks. The 'trick' to writing an excellent task is to write one that discovers what the students know rather than what they don't know. This article will give you strategies to help you work towards that goal.

Your first aim is to develop a portfolio of assessment tasks*. Trainee teachers should begin this during their practice teaching sessions. The practising teacher should continue to add to their own portfolio items written by colleagues and by themselves. Most schools/subject departments would have stored past assessment tasks. These two sets of assessment tasks become the material that can be used to help the teacher write an examination/assessment task. These past papers provide:

Make The Right Preparations Before Travelling Abroad To Teach English

If you are interested in teaching English overseas, you should begin to make your plans as there are many programs that are in need of qualified teachers. You may have to wait for three to four months before you make the transit to a foreign destinations where you can teach for a whole year or even more and if you prepare correctly you will find that you have made a great choice.

The first criterion is to ensure that your documentation is proper. You must have a valid passport for going overseas. If you have to apply for one you may have to wait for a few months so get the paper work done immediately including getting your photo taken. You may have to contact the U.S Department of State to get your visa. You can get details of the documents required if you visit their website and find out what is required to travel to the host country. Make sure you have copies of your passport, health insurance, life insurance and other important documents. You need to keep one set of these copies with a trusted family member or friend and one with you when you are abroad. Make a careful list of the people, who require to be informed of eventualities, such as your family members, doctor, lawyer and accountant.

Is It Worth the Time to Convert All the TED Conference Videos to Holograms?

Perhaps you've seen those new iPhone apps and they are also available for the iPad which allow you to walk around an object taking different pictures from different angles, and the app puts it all together so you have a 3-D modeling image. Well what if we did that when a professor was giving a lecture, or a famous or brilliant speaker was talking? Have you ever been to Disney World where they have Abraham Lincoln and they have a projector moving his face around and it looks as if he's talking to you? That's pretty cool isn't it?

Well, why can't we convert all the TED conference videos to holograms? You see, not long ago, I read a RAND report on how to bring creativity back into the classroom. Well, I can't think of a better way than to take those TED videos, and start playing them to junior high and high school students, and those in their first year of college. I'm quite certain that those that specialize in a certain niche in the upper division degreed programs are already watching the TED features that have to do with their academic field.

Visual And Verbal Communication With Students

Communication between an educator and his or her students is essential in order to ensure quality of learning. Whether the exchange is visual or verbal, both are effective ways of not only teaching the material, but also monitoring the student progress. Without adequate communication, the classroom environment is not the ideal setting for any child. Visual and verbal communication between teachers and students is an important part of English and math tutoring.

Visual communication with students, especially those of a younger age, provides concrete support for concepts and ideas. Visual representation of information is vital for the development of children in their thinking, learning, understanding, and application of curriculum. Transforming visual representations into mental images provides students with an on-hand reference of the studied material. There are many ways tools available to teachers to make visual representations possible in visual communication: chalkboards, dry erase boards, bulletin boards, overhead projectors, and new technology such as Smart Boards. This makes visual communication accessible for students of all ages in especially in math tutoring and classroom settings.

Creative Genius Brains Have a Better Bypass Mechanism - Now Let's Stop the Torment in Our Schools

Now then, I completely understand our public school system in hindsight, even if my personal experience with the program left a lot to be desired in my book. You see, we need to train our work force and an educated society is important to progress forward, as much as maintain all we are and all we've built. What gets taught is decided by the policy makers at various levels, the kids in school, well, they just do as they are told, learn the material, and accept all this information being forced fed. Okay so, I get that, still, I'd like to discuss this a bit.

Today, it's said that we need to make sure everyone goes to college. Why, well to get a better job of course, makes sense right, however if everyone goes to college, and there are a finite number of jobs, that doesn't give one the advantage, after all there are millions of others also with a college education and who knows 10s of thousands with the exact same knowledge. Are we not creating human robots as we force everyone to learn all the same things, the same way, all submitting to authority?

Ideas to Make Learning Much More Fun

In a world where our younger generations seem most excited about the newest and coolest computer games and electronic toys they could get their hands on, it's become increasingly hard to get children to focus on and develop an interest in learning. Innovation has never had a more important place in the classroom.

For teachers this means having to spend more time on activity preparation, and having to force themselves to be much more creative than in the past.

But how do you go about applying changes to your traditional teaching methods, and how do you even come up with new ideas?

Idea Exchanges