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INDIA – September 8th was International Literacy Day. With so many days set aside to draw attention to causes, we rarely take a look back to recognize what we have done to meet the needs of the cause beyond memorializing the day. Illiteracy is a significant issue in South Asia and other areas of the developing world. If, as the saying goes, “in the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king,” it is just as true that in the land of the illiterate, he who can read will have the power over those who cannot. Several years ago, the Business Standard reported that “Illiteracy is the biggest menace (in South Asia), impeding development . . . for South Asia, which inhabits more illiterate population than anywhere else.” That article was written in 2013. The goal of the South Asia education ministers was to end illiteracy from the entire region by 2017. “We pledge to achieve total literacy by 2017. TEACH Mission is a holistic campaign which focuses not just on teaching alphabets and numbers but also on teacher support, e-learning, adult literacy, etc.” Nonetheless, UNICEF has reported that over 75% of the 781 million illiterate adults in the world live in South Asia, West Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Almost two-thirds of those people are women. Literacy is an important outreach of many NGOs, including Gospel for Asia (GFA) and our field partners. We are engaged in teaching women and children to read and write so they do not remain trapped in poverty simply because they cannot read or write. Literacy will change their worlds. Although we teach with tens of thousands daily across South Asia, Gospel for Asia (GFA) and our field partners made special efforts to promote literacy on International Literacy Day 2018 just as they do every year across South Asia. This year, hundreds of new adult literacy centers were opened, including 66 in the Lucknow region alone. These centers will offer free literacy education to marginalized women including widows who live in slums and hard-to-reach villages where no education facilities exist for them. Other partners distributed literacy books and study aids, such as notebooks and slates to the women who enrolled in the literacy centers and to children from economically stressed families living in slum areas. The objective is to help these disadvantaged people gain a substantial advantage by learning to read and write. These elementary skills can pave the road for them and their children to escape the clutches of poverty through education that makes a difference. Several years ago, important officials recognized our efforts to increase literacy as “the best for this country and . . . is the best model for . . . religions, social trusts, organizations, and even the government, for social work and the upliftment of the poor.” The needs of the illiterate cannot be addressed with handouts. Raising awareness of their need and providing teaching solutions is the only way. This is especially important for nations like India which need more and more literate people to fill the expanding workforce of a nation that is on its way to becoming THE economic powerhouse in the world. - Business Standard, Illiteracy biggest issue for South Asia - UNICEF, Adult Literacy - Wikipedia, List of countries by literacy rate - BEC, Diocese of Lucknow Inaugurates 66 Adult Literacy Centers On International Literacy Day - Gospel for Asia, Photo of the Day

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Anderson County-Principal Day Celebrations Anderson County Career and Tech School – ‘We had a rip roaring Principal Appreciation Day Thursday February 11 2016. The A Team did an exceptional job with the posters and planning. From loot bags to pizza to mask and Mr. Herrell’s headdress. The Principals enjoyed all the thank you’s and fun. All the hard work always pays off when you see how much they enjoyed themselves. Hi Ho Silver and Away!!!’ Click here for the photos. Anderson County High School – Our kids loved being able to let our principals know how much we love and appreciate them. Click here for the photos. Claxton Elementary School – Our students had a fun day celebrating Principal’s Day. Click here for the photos. Clinch River Community School – Elementary, middle, and high school students celebrated Principal Appreciation Day at CRCS. Elementary and middle school students made a variety of posters and artwork. It was a great day!’ Click here for the photos. Clinton High School – We had to postpone our Principal Appreciation Day several times due to snow. When we FINALLY had the chance to celebrate our administrators, we provided them with lunch from Salsarita’s. We also collected thank you notes from students. Click here for the photos. Clinton Middle School– We had a great time celebrating our principals today. Click here for the photos. Grand Oaks Elementary School– We had a great day of celebrations! Doors were decorated, special announcements made, a song presented by 5th grade students, and a chuckwagon lunch featuring BBQ chicken, banana pudding, and sweet tea! Students donned masks, bandannas, and boots to make the day special. Most importantly, they pledged to leave behind good deeds and respect in their ‘clouds of dust’ to honor her leadership. Click here for the photos. Lake City Elementary School – One of our 1st grade classes performed an assembly program using the Lone Ranger song and special sayings about our Principals. A western scene complete with horse saddle and lanterns was created on stage for the Principals to sit by during the program. Lake City truly appreciates our Principals today and every day! Click here for the photos.

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The Importance of Equitable Access to Quality Early Learning “Students who attend high-quality preschool programs reap benefits that can last through school and their lives, according to a review of research released by Learning Policy Institute (LPI). The study includes reviews of rigorous evaluations of 21 large-scale public preschool programs which find that children who attend these programs are more prepared for school and experience substantial learning gains in comparison to children who do not attend preschool.” - Learning Policy Institute, Jan. 31, 2019 Children ages three to five are considered “pre-school age” and qualify for pre-kindergarten (pre-K) opportunities such as pre-school, nursery school, HeadStart, child care centers, school-based programs, and family care homes. In 2019, only 14% of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds in Lancaster County were enrolled in pre-K, significantly less than the state’s 23%. In southcentral PA, only Chester County and York County had lower pre-K participation than Lancaster County.(1) There are several barriers that families face in this arena: - Cost – average monthly cost for one child in preschool ranges from $800 - $1,000. Some preschools offer a sliding scale fee based on number of children enrolled and family income. - Access – families with transportation issues have difficulty getting their children to preschool. - Awareness – Preschool is a fairly new concept. HeadStart, the federally funded preschool program, was founded in 1965. The growth of two-income families in the 1980’s created a need for more child care and preschool options. Parents and grandparents who did not attend preschool may not be aware of the benefits it offers. We're partnering with two organizations that are focused on helping to make our legislators aware of the need for strong, affordable childcare and early learning opportunities: Start Strong PA aims to improve healthy development outcomes for infants and toddlers by increasing support for and improving the quality of child care programs that serve them. Pre-K for PA launched in January 2014 as a non-partisan issue campaign. Our goal is that by 2022, every at-risk child will have access to a high-quality pre-kindergarten program and middle-income families will more easily afford these services for their children. How Can You Help Advocate for Early Learning? In a world where finding and retaining quality employees can be a challenge, making sure that child care isn’t a barrier for employees means your business runs more smoothly. Affordable, reliable, high-quality child care and preschool gives your employees peace of mind and stability. Invest in Pre-K EITC - Join the Campaign! Our goal is to add: - Lend your voice at an upcoming legislative breakfast or dinner Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. Children who attend high-quality preschool programs are more successful in school. Preschool teaches children to follow directions, to learn by playing, to become more socially and emotionally developed, and can identify the need for early intervention to allow children the extra supports they may need to be successful learners. Preschool contributes to education equality. - Join the Campaign! Our goal is to add: - Attend a UWLC community conversation to learn more about early learning - For families with young children, attend a kindergarten registration event in your area - Make a contribution to UWLC’s early learning platform We are also recruiting advocates to partner with us on these initiatives: How you can help with advocacy: - Sign a petition to support state or federal legislation - Spread awareness about legislative action on social media - Write a letter to the editor in Lancaster Newspapers - Attend a meeting with a legislator in Lancaster or Harrisburg, PA - Volunteer to help with kids’ activities at a kindergarten transition event Add me to the United Way Advocacy Policy Action Team contact list Ready to reach out? Contact your local legislator Personalized e-mails are especially effective. Consider adding why your issue is important to you and the hardworking taxpayers in your community.

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Don’t leave college now even though this is the time of year when many college students decide to drop out. This especially common for first year students. For some who are away from home it is because they are homesick. For some they have found that college is harder than they expected. For some of those who are struggling academically a drop in grades may threaten financial aid or scholarships. If you are homesick, students often find that a few weeks at home under the watchful eye of mom and dad as opposed to the freedom of campus life is all they need to realize that campus life is not so bad. The friends from high school, like you, have made new friends and found new interests and so the old closeness may not be as you imagined it would be. Don’t leave college now. Home is not where you really want to be again. Academic issues may be more salvageable than you realize. The term is not over yet. You can talk to professors about how to ace the final exam or paper or you can negotiate an incomplete. It is likely too late now to drop classes that look headed for disaster, but see if you can mitigate the damage. Seek out a tutor or head to the writing center. If you had actually done these things earlier (like they told you to at orientation when you were either not listening or were assuming you could handle it) you might not be in a pickle now. The main thing is now to come clean to your professor, adviser or dean and see what can be done. Don’t leave college and go back home—especially if you messed up. Schools are used to students having this reality check in the first semester and then getting it together later. It does not mean that you can’t get into a good graduate school later. It may however tell you that the field you thought you wanted may not be your cup of tea after all. Whatever you do don’t leave college now. Talk to your adviser and the others there to serve you in the career or pre-med/pre-law offices to be sure you are on the right path. Dropping in and out can cost you in the long term. If you think of transferring then you need to be sure that credits from one school will transfer to another so you do not waste money retaking requirements. Don’t leave college now to go to work because you will be postponing the higher earnings that a college degree can provide. Whatever you do – don’t leave college now – do not just walk away. If you are thinking you might want to leave college – talk to someone and do it officially. You may be able to take a leave of absence if there is a health or family crisis. In any event the registrar has to know that you have dropped out. Otherwise you will wind up with bills for classes you did not complete and for which you may get an F. That will damage your GPA and leave you in debt to the school. If you owe them money the school will not release your transcripts to other schools should you want to transfer. You may lose your financial aid if your GPA drops as the result of those Fs. Walking away is always a disaster. It will be better if you don’t leave college now. Dr. Cantarella is the author of I CAN Finish College: The Overcome Any Obstacle and Get Your Degree Guide and a consultant on higher education, access and success. See Chapter 9 of I CAN Finish College and contact Dr. Cantarella at [email protected]. If you are in the process of making the big decision on whether to leave college or not – don’t leave college!

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Nepal Mountain Academy has all possible means to develop its tailored programs that can practically entice international students to be in the place where mountaineering education can, in essence, impart truly professional education of high academic importance. This paves the path to educational tourism. It can be a strong partner to the concept of sustainable development through educational tourism. Medical sciences and engineering studies programs have already been into this framework and now mountaineering education is going to be sure shot as well. It is developed because of the growing popularity of teaching and learning of knowledge and the enhancing of technical competency outside of the classroom environment. Educational institutions at home or abroad are the ambassadors to sustainable development programs for they can easily promote the concept once students move out of their usual classroom activities. In educational tourism, the main focus of the tour or leisure activity includes visiting another country to learn about the culture, study tours, or to work and apply skills learned inside the classroom in a different environment, such as in the International Practicum Training Program. The academy in this light of its academic and training programs can achieve commendable results in short period once its programs come to the floor. Many observable factors indicate that resources may not be a stagnant condition since expertise gathered and developed at a different location and time look forward to being of some use for good and when opportunities are ready knocking at doorstep there are people in this sector extending their friendly hands. The academy has a bright future.

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Interview link available to members here “Perhaps people outside our field don’t recognize how pivotal it is” surmises Lorraine Sushames, ACAL treasurer and an expert on adult literacy in the NT, when asked why reports such as ‘Closing the Gap’ still don’t focus on adult literacy. During a long career in adult literacy (including work on programs such as the Special intervention program, LANT, WELL, LLNP, FSFYF, and TAE80113) Lorraine has seen many people continue to slip through the gaps. She reports that access to appropriate programs is severely limited or non-existent for remote Indigenous communities and the unique challenges of the NT are yet to be overcome. Creating a lifechanging experience for her Grad Dip in Adult LLN students when she took them to Timor Leste for practical experience was just one of many career highlights. For Lorraine, life as an adult literacy specialist is about making a difference: a lot depends on what side of the socio-economic divide you are born on so to see people improve their socio-economic status and life opportunities – being in a position to make a difference, to have an impact – these are the payoffs for adult literacy work. Lorraine describes herself as having a strong sense of justice and of purpose, being comfortable with uncertainty, and being open to learning. As an integral member of the Australian adult literacy community, she notes that for the future we need to move away from one size fits all literacy programs. Lorraine’s call to action includes more research, inclusion of remote indigenous communities in the next PIAAC round, a refreshed TAE80113, and informal spaces for LLND learning in the NT.

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“Everyone has inside of her/him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is.” (Anne Frank) We are happy to invite you to our next BASF Toastmasters meeting (12.03.2018) that will be devoted to presentation of a new Toastmasters educational program — the Pathways Learning Experience! Special guest Lars Droege (official PATHWAYS ambassador) will present and answers all your questions concerning the new program. PATHWAYS is designed to develop real-world, transferable skills in many different areas such as communication, leadership, management, strategic planning, service to others, public speaking and more. It will be comprised of 10 paths and teach more than 300 unique competencies. As you progress through PATHWAYS you will: - Practice and improve your communication and leadership skills. - Give speeches in your Toastmasters Club based on assignments in PATHWAYS. - Challenge yourself to build and refine certain competencies and skills. - Complete a range of projects that include persuasive speaking, motivating others, creating a podcast and leading a group in a difficult situation. We will meet at 17:45h for a “Meet and Greet”, the meeting itself starts at 18:00h in Room 149 in the Building J660.

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Someone calls out your name. They give some details about your professional life. The audience applauds. The chairperson looks at you. The audience looks at you. The applause dies down. Everyone expects you to say something but you’ve gone blank! Sound familiar? Believe it or not, this is one of the most common nightmares among those who are going to give a presentation. In fact, three out of four people are more afraid of speaking in public than they are of spiders. In NELC we don’t have any data about those who fear meeting a spider while giving a presentation, but we can give you some tips about what to do if you have to give a lecture or present a new marketing plan. Especially if you have to do it in English as well. First things first. Do some groundwork. Find out about the audience you are going to speak to: their age bracket, their positions, their level of experience and how much they know about the topic you’re going to discuss. Find out how many people are coming. Then you can decide whether it’s better to speak from a podium or move around the room, for example. If you haven’t already done so, immerse yourself in the subject you’re going to talk about. This will give you self-confidence and you won’t be afraid of going blank. Look for a surprising or funny angle on the subject in question, which you think is interesting. Your enthusiasm will rub off and your listeners will want to know more. That brings us to the matter of how to keep the audience’s attention. Let’s put it this way: the first 30 seconds are crucial. This is the time when you win over or lose your audience. Start with something that makes an impact (a power opener), such as making your audience think by presenting a problem, providing surprising data related to the topic you are discussing, or telling them a personal anecdote. Another trick to avoid losing the interest of the participants is to briefly go over the main points at the end of each section. You can use expressions like these ones: Just one more thing before we move on; Let’s put together everything we have mentioned before moving on; What we have been talking about... Let’s move on to presentation of slides. The English use an acronym that describes very well what to do here: KISS, “Keep It Short & Simple”. Don’t forget to use colours either. And now that you have all the material, it’s time to practice. Practice, practice and more practice. This does not mean that you have to memorize your presentation but you do need to rehearse. The more you practice, the easier it will be, and if you do so in front of a mirror, even better. Listening to and watching yourself are the key to finding out how well prepared you are. And of course there’s the issue of question time. This is a part that you can’t rehearse but which you’ll have no need to worry about if you’ve prepared well. Basically there are four types of questions. Here are some expressions to help you deal with them: - Good questions: you can answer with an “I’m glad you asked me that…” - Difficult questions: “I don’t know that information off the top of my head…”, or “Can I get back to you on that?” - Unnecessary questions: “As I mentioned earlier…” - Irrelevant questions: “I’m afraid I don’t see the connection.” And when the big day arrives, relax, be yourself and have fun! Download our free e-book “Top Tips For Effective Presentations”, a guide that will help you feel more at ease and self-confident when giving a presentation in English.

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Are you familiar with the BSA’s Lone Scout program? Essentially, the Lone Scout program is for youth living far enough away from a community that it is difficult to participate in the traditional Scouting program. Each Lone Scout is required to have a Guide or an adult who is responsible for assisting them through the program hopefully to attain Eagle Scout. Recently, we had a Lone Scout join the ranks of our council and the Guide – a.k.a., his Mom –asked if there were opportunities to find Merit Badge Counselors (MBC) not from where they live to help her Scout earn merit badges. She asked if there was anything wrong with a Scout working with a MBC through Skype. This could be a great idea to help nontraditional Scouts get the same Scouting experience one participating in a troop. If you think you could help a Lone Scout out by being a MBC through Skype please contact Kyle Smith, Director of Field Service at the Great Falls office. You can reach Kyle by phone at (406) 761-6000 or by email at [email protected].

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Special Education entitles eligible children to a free appropriate public education beginning as early as the child’s third birthday and can be provided to those eligible through 21 years of age. An individualized education program (IEP) is designed for students eligible for special education to provide a free and appropriate public education without charge to the parent or student.Students are eligible for special education services after they have been determined eligible under Vermont State Regulations. - Age 3-5 Services: Essential Early Education (EEE) - Educational program designed to provide educational services to students with a developmental delay (40% or more), a medical condition which places them at risk of developmental delay or with an identified disability according to 3-21 regulations. - Services provided in an array of environments, including school-based early education classrooms as well as home/community-based environments. - Age 6-21 Services: Special Education & Related Services - Students are identified as being in need of special education services if they meet the following: - Presence of an identified disability in one of twelve recognized disability categories. - Disability has an adverse effect on the students’ education (defined as performance in the lowest 15th percentile for same-aged peers) - Student is in need of specialized instruction that cannot be provided through the school’s system of supports for all students. Special education regulations entitle families to specific rights in regards to their child’s education. More information can be found here on the State of Vermont Agency on Education site.

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What is SOAR? SOAR’s aim is to promote SOcial-emotional Adjustment and Resilience in children in the greater Oswego area. It began as a partnership between SUNY Oswego and the Oswego City School District, where trained college student volunteers visit elementary school classrooms to work with children who may be at-risk for developing social and emotional difficulties. What do college students do in SOAR? College students accepted into the SOAR program are first trained to deliver social and emotional skills training using the Social SkillsGroup Intervention protocol (SS GRIN). SS GRIN is an evidence-based protocol that is used in many school districts across the nation. After training, college students become intervention/prevention program associates who visit school one to two times per week to deliver the SS GRIN program to children. What are the SOAR program requirements? Participation in SOAR is a year-long (Fall/Spring semester) commitment. In addition to the initial training, Associates will visit classrooms roughly one to two times per week, and will be expected to attend weekly meetings and complete program-related academic assignments. Associates earn a total of three credits (allocated at the end of the Spring semester) once they complete the program. Who should join SOAR? Students with backgrounds in psychology, human development, education, and communications are encouraged to join SOAR. Other majors are also welcome. Although the project has a minimum GPA requirement, it is imperative the Associates also possess excellent social skills and have the ability to work with children in an open and comfortable way. Associates who participate in this project earn very valuable training in delivering prevention/intervention services to children, which will make them competitive candidates for jobs and graduate school. We also have opportunities for Associates to remain in the program for multiple years. Students who are interested in joining SOAR must meet the following requirements: 1. Sophomore, Junior, or Senior standing 2. Minimum GPA of 3.0 in all coursework; 3.3 GPA or higher preferred 3. Passing grade in PSY320 or HDV322. If these courses have not been taken, they must be taken during participation in SOAR during the Fall semester 4. Willingness to make a full year (Fall/Spring) commitment to the program Students who meet these requirements should apply to join the program. Application forms can be downloaded from here and dropped off in Dr. Dykas’ Office (402 Mahar Hall). Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and personal interviews will be conducted with candidates who we feel could best meet the program specifications. Questions about SOAR can be directed to Dr. Matt Dykas ([email protected]).

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These individuals are not Career Counselors, but dedicate a portion of their time to supporting the career development of students (graduate or undergraduate) by consistently empowering them to seek meaningful opportunities for work, service, and/or advanced studies with confidence, courage, and curiosity. - Advise students in discovering and pursuing opportunities to gain experience - Support students in making informed decisions aligned with their values, goals and interests - Help students articulate their Career Competencies and career options - Connect students with formal and informal networks and resources - Display responsiveness, availability, concern, respect and depth of knowledge - Are UVM employees who do not work in the Career Center

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The Mixed Methods Blog Introducing CCRC’s Summer 2022 Guided Pathways Institute Cohort By Sarah Griffin and Hana Lahr CCRC’s Guided Pathways Summer Institute is back! Following a competitive application and interview process, 22 teams representing 24 colleges in 18 states were selected for the 2022 institute, which will be held over two sessions in June and July. 2022 Guided Pathways Institute Colleges While last year’s institute focused on rural and rural-serving community colleges, this year CCRC opened the institute to all colleges. The 24 colleges that have been selected to participate include 12 that are rural or rural-serving and 12 located in larger metropolitan areas. Besides their geographic differences, nine colleges are small (< 5,000 students year-round), six colleges are medium-sized (5,000–9,999 students), and nine colleges are large (> 10,000 students). The Content of the Institute Though the colleges are diverse, they all share an interest in promoting upward social and economic mobility in their communities. By implementing guided pathways, they will be working to ensure that all students can explore, enter, and complete programs that lead to family-sustaining jobs or transfer to a four-year institution without excess credits. To help them launch their guided pathways reforms, the institute will lead teams of eight to 12 faculty, staff, and administrators through exercises to explore their data and plan reforms to their colleges' new student onboarding practices. The colleges will examine data on student enrollment, coursetaking, and completion by program and consider the implications of these data for college redesign. Through this examination, the colleges will be better positioned to design and implement onboarding reforms that will support all students while adapting reforms to meet students' diverse needs and educational and career goals. The colleges will also reimagine new student onboarding through CCRC’s research-based “Ask-Connect-Inspire-Plan” (ACIP) framework. Our national research shows that efforts to help students identify a program of study aligned with their interests, strengths, and aspirations improve student retention. During the institute, participating colleges will learn about the ACIP framework and discuss how it can be used to support pathways reforms. By the end of the institute, each team will develop a customized plan to engage their college community in conversations about implementing reforms to onboarding and related areas of practice that will help the college recruit and retain students in high-opportunity programs connected to their long-term goals. Through the institute, CCRC will continue to learn about the challenges and opportunities for whole-college transformation in different institutional contexts. In the coming months, we will release several reports based on what we learned from the 2021 institute, and we plan to share what we learn from the 2022 cohort over the next year. We are grateful to the Ascendium Education Group for supporting CCRC’s summer institutes. |Bluegrass Community and Technical College, KY||Kankakee Community College, IL||Saint Paul College, MN| |Bunker Hill Community College, MA||LaGuardia Community College, NY||Sullivan Community College (SUNY), NY| |Central Carolina Community College, NC||Napa Valley College, CA||The University of New Mexico-Taos, NM| |Frederick Community College, MD||Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, PA| |Aiken Technical College, SC||Greenville Technical College, SC||Reynolds Community College, VA| |Centralia College, WA||HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College||Shawnee Community College, IL| |Dyersburg State Community College, TN||Johnson County Community College, KS||Walters State Community College, TN| |Eastern Oklahoma State College, OK||Kirkwood Community College, IA| |Georgia Highlands College, GA||Nashville State Community College, TN| Hana Lahr is a senior research associate and program lead at CCRC. Sarah Griffin is a research associate at CCRC.

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Exploring the Future of Work During this stage mentees will have an opportunity to hearing from several mentors on a variety of career paths. During this stage they will be asked to identify one – three areas they would like to explore in greater depth. Focusing on a Career Path During this stage, the mentees will have an opportunity to focus on up to 3 career path areas. The mentors will provide past, present, and future projections. Current position research, web sites and current information on the sector will be provided. Experiential Learning / Work Mentoring Plus Approaches may lead to an Experiential Learning opportunity, such as a work experience, coop education etc. A group of mentors can be assigned to the mentee for support and additional development. Further Learning Opportunities Learning a Living is the way of the future as we move into a Knowledge Economy. As a mentee has a defined career path, there will be a need to create a Learning Plan that may or may not include our traditional learning opportunities. Various models will be explored including Credentials, online learning, webinars etc. leading to a certificate. Towards a Sustainable Livelihood Throughout all the various stages listed above, there will be overarching topics that will intersect with all approaches including salary ranges, 21st Century Skills such as, communication, learning how to work as a team, market skills etc., and the role technology plays in the world of work.

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Most teachers in the poll think the role of a state chief or district superintendent is consumed with politics and mired in bureaucracy, with little opportunity to make a difference for kids. In fact, less than half of teachers surveyed said they believe a state or district chief can have a meaningful impact on children’s lives. Teacher to Chief: America needs more talented, student-focused leaders overseeing our state and district education systems. With more than 3 million teachers in the United States, it would seem there is a natural pool of excellent educators who could develop into impactful systems leaders. Yet a Change Research poll commissioned by Chiefs for Change shows the overwhelming majority of teachers are not interested in the top job. Chiefs for Change is a bipartisan network of state and district education leaders from across the nation. In this multimedia report, we present the poll results and share the stories of a number of bold, innovative chiefs as they outline their career journeys, detail the meaningful rewards of their role, and describe how it allows them to make a difference in children’s lives. The report also provides recommendations for how to encourage teachers to consider the highest level of education leadership and explains how systems can create meaningful pathways to help teachers get there. Chancellor, District of Columbia Public Schools Lewis Ferebee says there is nothing like being a classroom teacher day in and day out that prepares a person to lead a school system. Ferebee tells teachers not to be afraid of the politics because the core work is always focused on teaching and learning. HOW CHIEFS MAKE AN IMPACT Our members, 91 percent of whom began their careers in the classroom, believe teaching is one of the most important professions. They deeply honor teachers—but have found that serving as a chief is an opportunity to make a profound impact in a different way, at a different scale: - Chiefs set the vision for the system, engaging with teachers; principals; other staff; parents; students; elected officials; and the community to identify shared priorities and establish a plan for success. - Chiefs shape the conditions and policies that help educators succeed, raise expectations for all students, and promote well-rounded and enriching learning opportunities across classrooms and schools. - Chiefs work to combat systemic inequities by removing barriers and directing high-quality supports to students and classrooms throughout their systems. - Chiefs serve as community leaders, galvanizing broad support and marshaling resources to help students excel. - Chiefs create a culture of transparency and respect, ensuring educators and families have opportunities to share their perspectives, understand how decisions are made, and receive regular and timely communications from school and system leaders. - Chiefs serve as role models—and students need more leaders who look like them. Only 6 percent of district leaders and 12 percent of state leaders are people of color. At the district level, 30 percent of those who lead large local systems are women, and just 11 percent are women of color. At the state level, women hold 45 percent of chief roles, and only 8 percent are women of color. Susana Cordova—Superintendent, Denver Public Schools Susana Cordova attended Denver Public Schools and has spent her entire career in the district. She remembers how meaningful it was as a teacher to have input on decisions for her school. Now, as superintendent, Susana has a team of teachers advising her on district-level decisions. Carey Wright—State Superintendent of Education, Mississippi Every day, Carey Wright is focused on supporting teachers across Mississippi. She says, “We involve teachers in everything that we do” and explains how a state chief helps to shape education policy. Superintendent, The School District of Palm Beach County Donald Fennoy says opportunities present themselves to amazing teachers. When it comes to taking on leadership roles, he has heard teachers say, “I can’t do that.” His response: “You can!” WHAT WE HEARD FROM TEACHERS ABOUT THEIR CAREER INTERESTS Our poll indicated that teachers think about leadership roles. Systems should, therefore, ensure teachers are familiar with all of the advancement opportunities available to them and the possible career trajectories. This is especially important since some survey respondents said that if they had a better understanding of how a superintendent can help craft policy and improve operations, they would consider the position. Despite the absence of mentorship and clear pathways—and skepticism about becoming a chief—teachers in our poll are interested in other school-based leadership opportunities. - Thought about becoming a grade or department-level leader63% - interested in earning an administrative credential26% - interested in becoming a principal14% CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools Sonja Santelises brought her love of teaching to her post as CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools. She is driven by an unyielding desire to ensure that the system is organized around the instructional core and says chiefs have a responsibility to identify outstanding teachers with leadership potential. A NEW APPROACH Districts and state education departments should introduce teachers with the potential to become chiefs to the role and establish coherent pathways to leadership with associated compensation structures. Systems should clearly articulate what those pathways and structures are so that teachers understand the possibilities available to them. Pathways may include opportunities for teachers to serve as: - Mentors, where they train novice teachers on instruction, curriculum, assessment, and classroom management practices. - Facilitators, where they support teacher collaboration on effective implementation of curricula. - Department or grade-level chairs, where they oversee budgets, resources, and collaborative processes. - Members of school or district committees, where they share their perspectives and influence policy. Excellent teachers with demonstrated leadership skills should be incentivized to obtain necessary certifications and be promoted to principals, central office administrators, and, eventually, superintendents. As individuals advance, they should receive coaching on how to navigate complex issues related to school governance and finance; staffing; communications; working with diverse stakeholders to implement a vision; state and federal laws and regulations; community engagement; strategic planning; and education policy, data, and research. The summer is the ideal time to give teachers exposure to the chief role through job shadowing opportunities at a district’s central office or a state department of education. All pathways should be designed to encourage emerging leaders to reflect on how their expanded roles allow them to make a difference on a broad scale. Systems and local partners should collaborate to create targeted networking, mentorship, and sponsorship opportunities for teachers of color—and, especially, women teachers of color—who are interested in education leadership roles. As a first step toward building a diverse talent pipeline, systems should create programs for teachers of color to connect with mentors. Systems should also provide forums for teachers to hear from current chiefs and other education leaders from diverse backgrounds about their roles and personal career journeys. Then, as emerging leaders move beyond early-stage development pathways and take on higher levels of responsibility, systems should provide opportunities for teachers of color to work with “sponsors” who champion them and provide intensive support as they pursue significant professional milestones and make important career decisions. People of color, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, often have less exposure to professional networks needed to advance. By creating programs that allow teachers of color to more easily build both the skills and relationships that can help them ascend to the chief role, school systems can diversify education leadership and ensure decisions that impact children and families reflect a variety of perspectives. Chiefs should establish succession plans to sustain their work over the long term. One way to do this is through “coaching trees,” in which chiefs develop future leaders from their own cabinets who share their vision for educational excellence and equity. This enables promising approaches to take hold and be continuously refined. Effective leaders understand the importance of a deeply invested team and find ways to support those around them, so that talented individuals have opportunities to move up and the system can evolve to produce ever-stronger outcomes for kids. Currently, there are few organized programs to cultivate “homegrown” educators into systems leaders. While more of these efforts are needed at the local level, we as a network are working at the national level to create initiatives that support early-career teachers who show great potential to become chiefs. This is an extension of our Future Chiefs program and will involve partnerships with teacher organizations and others. Our goal is to spark teachers’ interest in the chief role, introduce them to clear career pathways, and eventually offer placements within our members' systems. The poll was fielded January 4–20, 2020, by Change Research, which emailed a set of prior survey respondents who identified themselves as current or former teachers, inviting them to participate in the survey. These data include all respondents who identify as a current teacher who completed the survey. While the survey is not a perfectly representative national sample of classroom teachers, the data provide insight and perspective from a broad cross section of teachers across the United States regarding their views on pathways to educational leadership roles.

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Learn more about how to fund your study abroad experience. Why Study German? You recognize that German is the most spoken language in the European Union. It’s an official language in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein making it the fourth most spoken language in the world, and the second most commonly used scientific language. Germany is the third largest contributor to research and development. For example, in 2020 BioNTech, Pfizer’s partner in Germany, developed the first COVID-19 vaccine. You enjoy Germany’s innovative climate and know that Germany’s number one export is machinery including computers, followed by vehicles, electrical machinery and equipment, pharmaceuticals, as well as air- and spacecraft. You are a global citizen and as such are seeking a global career. Each time you learn a new language, you double your life experiences and job opportunities. Germany is the fourth-largest world economy and ⅔ of leading trade fairs take place in Germany. You also double your insights into the world and a different way of living and thinking broadening your horizon and leading you to your personal growth. Travel has always been on your mind and the German tourism industry lies in the heart of Europe with a dense public transportation network. You enjoy literature, music, art and philosophy. Germany has a rich cultural heritage and German is the language of Kafka, Beethoven, Marc, and Nietzsche. You appreciate Eurogames, the German style board games, such as Catan and are a fan of Reiner Knizia, Germany’s most prolific designer having designed so far over 700 published titles worldwide. You know that your language skills which you highlighted on your resume and mentioned during your job interview will earn you between 5% to 20% more. World Languages & Literatures Northern Kentucky University Mathematics, Education, and Psychology Center 475 100 Nunn Drive Highland Heights, KY 41076 Information is collected automatically by NKU as part of the software operation of our website. This data is not personally identifiable information. NKU uses this information for internal purposes, such as marketing and seeing what pages are most frequently visited. Click "Accept" to continue to use NKU website(s), and consent to our collection of cookies. For more information please see NKU's Web Privacy Statement.

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ARRESTING THE MENACE OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The menace of examination mal practice in our schools is highly increasing. There is indication that the menace of examination malpractice in our primary schools exists as one of the prevalent hazards that threaten the society. Therefore arresting the menace of examination Mal-practice using Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system of education will of necessity be very authentic, inter-subjected in the promotion of quality standard of education in primary schools in Udi Local government Area. So Using Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system of education to arrest all examination Mal practice has become a major source of concern to the validity and reliability of our educational system. This is because success in every human endeavor entails time spent in preparations and in effective teaching and learning which helps in eradicating the menace of examination malpractice. Therefore the issue of low academic performances and the increasing prevalence of examination malpractice over the years is becoming a serious concern to all stakeholders within the educational sector, that is the main reason why Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system of education should be introduce in our primary schools this is because Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system of education accept the ecumenical principle of collaboration, co-operation and concelebration in an educative process which helps in bombing all sort of examination Mal practice in our primary schools. 1.2 POINT OF INQUIRY Eminent philosophers have proved beyond reasonable doubt that of all academic menace besetting learners at different levels of our educational system is lack of Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system of education in schools which gives rise to poor performances of pupils that constitutes low standard of education, examination Malpractice, violence, disorderliness and occultism which are the major headache on our academic success. Therefore there is need for Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system of education in our primary schools because the new system is to emerge-benevolence, love, trust, intelligent, sympathy, compassion and tolerance; Instead of examination Malpractice and all forms of “expo” in the school system, both staff and pupils will develop the wonderful academic tools of empathy, consistency, comprehensiveness giving and demanding reasons which helps to arrest examination Mal practice or any sort of expo in our primary schools. 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY According to Adolescent Psychology in focus, examination is one of most important evaluative instrument being used in determining the learner’s rate of achievement in terms of the desired goal or set objectives. Therefore examination Malpractice is any action that contravenes the rules and regulation of examination ethics it is an illegal attempt or action of an individuals or group of students to benefits self or others through evil means while violating the regulations governing the conduct of examination Based on this insight; Using COPI4C system of education to arrest the menace of examination Mal practices is very holistic, global, universal, dialogic and cooperative in both theory and practice this is because the system (COPI4C) reduce the problems of schooling without thinking on the pupils performance. According to ATCOICOE; students are taught to develop as independents thinkers when they are given set of values and made to understand through the community of Inquiry approach that all experiences and points of view are respected. Anything different from this becomes indoctrination. Therefore the ability to read well at any age is very crucial for academic success; this will help to have good and reflective thinking that have so many combinations, such as critical creative, affective dimensions of thinking which will arrest all sorts of examination menace in our schools. The sickness of our educative process is that good thinking is not truly oriented; this is because most of our academically certificated people never had a good opportunity to do good thinking. They purse academic shadow instead of the consistent rigorous method of critically analysis situations to arrive at complex and creative solutions to arrest out all examination menace in schools. No wonder Dewey regarded good thinking as the fundamentals aim of lack of creative and critical thinking in our schools gives rise to the very dangerous situation of having people pass through our schools systems and yet are very uneducated. The new trend (COPI4C) arrests examination malpractice by giving the pupils the opportunities to participate in grappling with the big questions and task of thinking before action. Pupils are led to reflects figure out things, understand cause and effect and to feel that they are part of the society that will make them to stand freely from examination Mal practice in the schools. This is done by allowing them to ask questions and provide answers to the questions by themselves without looking side by side during the examinations. Moreso, in the new trend the pupils gradually develop the spirit of critical and creative Inquiry as they participate in the classroom community with the whole set of higher thinking and the appearances of wonderful change from static classroom to a dynamic one. According to Authentic Education, Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system presents each person as an authentic centre of originality, who does not manipulate or dominate the other persons but complements each other; help each other to be fully alive and fully human. Thus Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system of education enables pupils to be liberated and equipped with life-saving tacts and skills instead of being intellectually manipulated and colonized. Instead of examination malpractice and all forms of “expo” the school system, both staff and students will develop the wonderful academic tools of empathy, consistency, comprehensiveness, giving and demanding reasons. Practical reasoning and communal deliberation give rise qualitative academic judgment. The major intendment of Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system of education is not upon the acquisition of information but rather the development of critical and creative spirit reaching out to higher order thinking. Therefore the researcher based her research work in Udi L.G.A and be delimited to twenty teachers and few pupils in five primary schools The delimited primary schools are Southwest primary schools Amokwe Community primary school Nsude Central school Nachi Central school Abia Premier primary school Udi There is need for a very consistent and corrective educational value made available to the young children so that they may learn to think critically creatively and ethically. Therefore as a result of lack of Community of Inquiry Philosophy for Children (COIP4C) system of education in our primary schools. The researcher assumed that the government should introduce (COIP4C) system of education in our primary schools. In arresting examinations Mal practice in primary schools, the researcher assumed that it is high time the populace stop striving for paper qualification for their children. Moreso, it is better for parents to engage the services of teachers, is better than giving bribe to teachers for the purpose of examinations Malpractice. Also the researcher assumed that intensive campaign should be mounted in schools on the ills and evils of examination Malpractice. The schools and the community can think of exciting ways of rewarding pupils and teachers who are hard-working and dedicated. Lastly, parents should avoid forcing their wishes on their children. It is the assumption of the researcher that if children could be exposed to classroom Community of Inquiry on a regular basis from Infancy, much would be accomplished in the search to overcome selfishness, clannish thuggery, and blue day armed robbery in the school system. DEFINITIONS OF BASIC TERMS - ATCOICOE African thinkers community of Inquiry college of Education - ATCOI African thinkers community of Inquiry - COI Community of Inquiry - P4C Philosophy for children - IAPC Institute for the advancement of Philosophy for children - COIP4C Community of Inquiry Philosophy for children

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This appeal is being made on behalf of St. Anne’s School and is a request for you to support us to raise money to enhance the educational experience of our pupils and their learning environment. We provide education for children who have been assessed as having general learning disabilities in either the moderate or severe range between the ages of five and eighteen years. Some of our pupils have physical or sensory impairments and some have a diagnosis of autism. All of our children are amazing and fun to be with and always do their very best. Their learning will progress with the experiences we provide for them. To do this effectively we need a large variety and vast amount of resources to cater for the very individual needs of our pupils to enable them to access the curriculum As a primary school we follow the curriculum for Children with General Learning Disabilities. However fifty per cent of our pupils are of post primary age and are completing the Junior Cycle Learning Programmes at Levels 1 and 2. Because of the variety of needs and age groups across the school, providing resources is very costly as we endeavour to cover everything that we are required to within both curricula. Most of our resources are custom made for each pupil, for those that are not we have to make several copies as our pupils can no longer share within current restrictions. We also have access to sensory rooms to provide therapeutic supports, sensory diets or sometimes just fun for our pupils. We need to access a variety of sensory toys and equipment to provide for individual needs and likes. Repairs and replacement of these can be very costly. As a result of Covid – 19 we have separated our classes into bubbles for play times. Breaks are organised according to age groups and as you can imagine this has stretched the few items of play equipment we already have, to the limit as they can no longer be shared easily. We do receive grants from the Department of Education but these do cover the basic costs of running our school most of the time, not to mention the nicer things in life such as play equipment or sensory toys. Our fund raising initiative which was to be held in March 2020 was cancelled and already we are struggling financially. We need your help now. What will we buy? These are the items we have identified that our children will benefit most from: - Enable us to make additional specialist resources e.g. cover costs of photocopying and additional paper/ink required laminators and printers for every class - Repair/provide laptop for every class that does not have one - Replace and improve supply of all curriculum based resources and equipment and enough PE gear to provide separately to all classes - Provide portable barriers to divide play areas for bubbles/ social distancing - Provide outdoor sensory panels, magnetic dry white boards with magnetic shapes, letters etc. - Provide indoor activities for wet weather break times e.g. games consoles, tabletop games/activities, CD players - Go towards and help to alleviate high heating and electrical costs. We are a relatively small special school but have similar number of classes to heat as a school with a much larger pupil population €50,000 will get us all the above plus: - Sensory room equipment e.g. .bubble tubes, projectors, music system, sound to light interactive toys, interactive panels - Funds to service and clean existing sensory room equipment - Purchasing specialist kitchen equipment for the Home Economics Room e.g. slow cooker, soup maker, food processor/mixer, cooker etc. - Provide interactive white board for a classroom plus software/installation - Large outdoor play equipment e.g. slide/swing/climbing frame etc. - Ride on toys (bikes, pedal cars, snickers) for play areas - Install wheelchair swings - Provide adequate PE equipment - Pay ongoing annual subscription for Boardmaker communication system (€170 minimum annually. €70,000 and over will get us all the above plus - Resurfacing play area, replacing grass with resilient surfacing - Awning to cover play area to protect the children from the weather - Outdoor sensory panels, music panels, bench games - Purchase two additional interactive white boards plus software and installation - Fix roof leaks (for which funding was refused by DES as we will be getting a new building in a couple of years time) - Continue to support additional heating/electrical costs We depend very much on fundraising to provide additional educational resources as described and any help we can get is very much appreciated. Thank you for considering our cause and please support it by donating even the smallest amount to us.

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Early Years Lead Practitioner LEVEL 5 - 18 MONTHS Early Years Lead Practitioner, Level 5 The Early Years Lead Practitioner apprenticeship is ideal for practitioners who are aiming to be leaders within their setting. Building on your existing experience as a key worker, this apprenticeship will help develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable you to lead the day to day operations. What is an Early Years Lead Practitioner? This occupation is found in a range of settings which can include day nurseries, playgroups, nursery schools, pre-schools, kindergartens, primary schools, hospitals, social care settings, out of school environments and local authority provision. The purpose of this role is to be a proactive and influential practitioner, working directly with children, skilfully leading day to day practice at an operational level. As an active practitioner, you’ll be working directly with children, skilfully leading day to day practice at an operational level. You will be a role model of play-based learning, supporting others to develop their own practice. You will be a highly skilled professional who takes an operational lead for the care, learning and development of all young children within your care, adapting to individual needs to provide an inclusive and holistic provision. Engaging with sector developments, both locally and nationally, you will be committed to developing your own professional and educational competencies. Interacting with children aged birth to eight years, families, practitioners, other professionals and appropriate agencies, your will be responsible for supporting the quality of learning and developing in your setting. Leading on the operational aspects of the provision, the Lead Practitioner is typically responsible for leading other practitioners, an aspect or environment such as: Communication and Language, Planning and Assessment, Forest School, Physical Activity and Nutrition. They usually report directly to the head of the setting (The Manager, The Leader, The Director). Who is this for? Depending on your setting, your title may vary but typical job titles for this apprenticeship include: Room leader, Deputy manager, Assistant manager, Senior practitioner, Lead practitioner, Pre-school leader, Early years coordinator. Early years practitioner, Nursery officer, Early years officer, Key worker, Senior key worker, Baby room leader, Lead baby room practitioner, Play leader. Early years support worker, Higher level teaching and learning assistant, Early years foundation Stage lead or coordinator. Pastoral care manager, Pastoral assistant, Education welfare officer. Specialist practitioner in child development (health), Community nursery nurse, Health play specialist, Hospital play worker. What is covered? During the programme you will be taught and assessed on the following knowledge, skills and behaviours. Teaching is delivered through monthly two-hour long workshops, supported with regular 1:1 coaching, self-led learning and assessments. K1: Ethical and rights-based approaches to support the child, listening to the child’s authentic voice within their social and cultural context enabling advocacy for the child and their individual journey, developing high quality childcare environments that are continuously evaluated. K2: How individual children learn and develop from conception to 8 years in relation to typical and atypical neurological, cognitive, social, emotional, behavioural, communication and physical development within the social, cultural context and the impact of this on their future. K3: Factors that have an impact upon health, well-being and early learning that can affect children from conception to 8 years. K4: Current and contemporary schools of thought to enable respectful and nurturing personal care. K5: Local and national child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures in practice, identifying when a child is at risk, and how to challenge in order to protect them. This includes understanding the role of the designated lead for safeguarding and assimilating findings of serious case reviews. K6: Theories of self-regulation, resilience and well-being and the impact of adverse early childhood experiences. K7: Current and emerging theories of attachment and how these relate to promoting relationships effectively such as the key person approach. K8: The importance of the social cultural context on the learning and development of the child and the influence parents, families and carers have within the home learning environment and the complexities of the family situation. K9: The importance of play and the theoretical perspectives of play and its impact on a child’s learning and development. K10: How to stimulate children’s creativity and curiosity and why and how this enables enquiry based active learning. K11: A wide range of underpinning theories from physiological, neurological, developmental and education and how these can be incorporated to develop own pedagogy. K12: Current and contemporary approaches in the development of emergent literacy and numeracy skills such as synthetic phonics. K13: How planning cycles inform and improve practice and the principles of individual needs-based assessment for effective early intervention for all children responsive to typical and atypical needs and development. K14: Potential effects of transitions and schools of thought on how to successfully support children and their families. K15: The importance of enabling environments and the impact of opportunities, resources and relationships on learning and development. K16: How to promote inclusion, equality and diversity in the sector and why it is essential. K17: Current and contemporary theoretical perspectives and approaches to leadership and how to support others through leaderful practice. K18: Principles of reflection in influencing early years practice with a commitment to life-long learning including continual professional development and action research. K19: How to maintain accurate and coherent records and reports for the purpose of sharing information and communicate effectively in both oral and written English. K20: The current and relevant policy, statutory guidance and legal requirements as appropriate to the sector within; local, national, historical and global contexts. K21: Strategies to effect collaborative approaches to working with parents, professional bodies and multi agencies. S1: Analyse and articulate how all children’s individual learning can be affected by their current developmental capabilities, characteristics and individual circumstances taking into account all factors contributing to typical and atypical development. S2: Promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice. S3: Observe, assess, plan, facilitate and participate in play opportunities which include current curriculum requirements. S4: Ensure plans fully reflect the individual development needs and circumstances of children and actively participate in the provision of consistent care, responding quickly to the needs of the individual child. S5: Provide a dynamic, evolving and enabling environment that reflects the current interests, motivations, and play of individual and groups of children. S6: Encourage all children’s participation, ensuring a sensitive, respectful and effective balance within the adult and child dynamic to facilitate play opportunities. S7: Engage in effective strategies to develop and extend children’s learning and thinking, including sustained shared thinking. S8: Support and promote children’s speech, language and communication development and determining and adapting appropriate responses and interventions. S9: Support children to engage in a range of learning contexts such as individual, small groups and larger groups as appropriate for their play and support confidence within social experiences. S10: Ensure staff are deployed effectively to suit and enhance the learning environment, prioritising the safety and wellbeing of all children. S11: Advocate for the child, cultivating professional partnerships with parents/carers and other professionals, presenting their understanding of the child’s journey within multidisciplinary teams to holistically support the child’s individual needs. S12: Demonstrate the importance of the home learning environment, developing an effective and collaborative partnership to enhance opportunities for the child. S13: Make use of formative and summative assessment, tracking children’s progress to plan for future learning possibilities including early interventions based on individual developmental needs. S14: Take responsibility for supporting the key person in articulating children’s progress and planning future learning possibilities. S15: Use current and contemporary knowledge, research, theories and approaches to develop, enhance and articulate their own pedagogical approach and practice. S16: Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally to enhance their practice. S17: Plan, carry out and guide appropriate physical care routines for individual children. S18: Promote, model and support children and families to develop a healthy approach to making choices relating to personal care including eating, sleeping and physical activity. S19: Develop, model and implement strategies to support the emotional, psychological, physical and cultural needs of all children within the setting. S20: Identify and act upon own responsibilities in relation to health and safety, prevention and control of infection, carrying out risk assessments and risk management processes in line with policies and procedures. S21: Ensure the security and confidentiality of data, records and information in line with current legislation. S22: Be a leaderful practitioner to support, mentor, coach, train and guide colleagues in a range of settings, providing inspiration and motivation to engage others to develop their practice. S23: Be confident to identify, action and competently challenge issues and undertake difficult conversations where appropriate. S24: Advocate for children through their child centred approach, listening to the voice of the child; ensuring children’s rights, views and wishes are heard, respected and acted upon at all times. Offer appropriate support and influence decisions in the best interests of the child. S25: Competently action and carry out safeguarding procedures, using their professional curiosity, knowledge, insight and understanding. S26: Explore and understand, challenge and question; knowing when to act to safeguard and protect children. B1: Ethical, fair, consistent and impartial, valuing equality and diversity at all times within professional boundaries. B2: Leaderful and motivating through consistent modelling of innovative and aspirational practice to other colleagues. B3: Person centred, friendly and approachable, demonstrating caring, empathetic and respectful qualities. B4: Authentic and fun, demonstrating playful practice through animated and expressive play and quality interactions with children. B5: Positive and proactive member of the team, being assertive and exercising diplomacy. B6: Reflective practitioner. B7: Creative and imaginative, demonstrating curiosity and inquisitiveness in order to be resourceful in all areas, including play and problem solving. B8: Flexible and adaptable; responding to children’s spontaneous activities. B9: Receptive and open to challenge and constructive criticism. with Government funding of 95% (non levy employers/SMEs) full cost for levy payers Why Partner With Us? Send us a Message Reach us on Social Connect, follow and share with us on LinkedIn or Facebook. Give us a call and chat through your options on 01202 612365

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When was the last time you were in a situation where all’s you were hearing were “angry” words? How did you respond? Was it with your “angry” voice too, or did you choose to use your “hearing” voice? It is far easier to not hear what is really being said, then it is to train our ears to hear the unspoken. It takes strength, courage, time and patience but most of all understanding and these are all lessons that we have at some time or other in our lives needed to learn or maybe even still need to learn! What is truly incredible is when you are able to respond with your “hearing” voice, doing so is a blessing, a gift, maybe even a wee miracle for the one who is in fact reaching out. So next time you are faced or confronted with “angry” words, step back and see what you can hear, for you may just be the miracle of their day and imagine how amazing that would feel to know you too have learnt another lesson on your life path!

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Addressing Social Inequity in Early Intervention Services for Young Children with Disabilities Academic mentor: Prof. Meghan Burke Community partner: Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center Community-Academic Scholars: Michelle Garcia and Jacqueline Nunez In Illinois, over 20,000 young (aged 0-3) children with delays and/or disabilities receive early intervention (EI) services (e.g., speech therapy, physical therapy). These services are critical to their development and long-term functioning. Prior to COVID-19, EI services were provided in person. With COVID-19, Illinois pivoted to offer EI services via telehealth. However, this introduced inequity as families without access to technology and/or consistent internet could not access EI via telehealth. To address this inequity, the Early Intervention Clearinghouse received a grant to provide technology and data plans to families of young children with disabilities so they can access EI. The Early Intervention Clearinghouse (which is housed at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) partners with Family Matters, a non-profit which also serves families of young children with disabilities. In this project, the Community-Academic Scholars will work with the Clearinghouse, Family Matters, and Dr. Burke to conduct qualitative and quantitative research about the technology loan program to determine if the program closes inequities. Role of the Community-Academic Scholars: The Community-Academic Scholars will conduct a systematic literature review about inequity in telehealth. The scholars will work with Dr. Burke, the Clearinghouse, and Family Matters to develop a survey and interview protocol. We will recruit families who have received technology/devices from the Clearinghouse to receive EI services via telehealth. These families will complete the survey and an interview with the scholars. The scholars will enter the survey data into a statistical software program. They will also transcribe and help analyze the qualitative data. The scholars will be involved in writing manuscripts resulting from the data.

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When most presenters step from the stage their main feeling is relief, relief at having finished, relief at having survived, relief at having not failed. The real question though about the presentation should be, was that any good? Determining how good a presentation actually was is more complex than one might imagine. How does one determine if a presentation was any good? The most obvious answer is audience feedback. This may be immediate or delayed. Immediate feedback is difficult to interpret. During a presentation inexperienced presenters can be put off by their own perception of the response from the audience. “Resting face” is however not a good assessment of quality in a presentation. Nor is the cliched introduction to a question asked from the floor, “Thank you for your presentation, I enjoyed it very much.” Unfortunately the same epiphet will be used for every single presentation given that day, not all presentations were that good. How good a presentation really was is usually almost totally unrelated to how the presenter feels the presenter the presentation went. Immediate self reflection usually includes assessment of the delivered presentation versus previous rehearsal (you did practise didn’t you??), This is not of value as the audience receive only the delivered presentation and have nothing against which to compare so even a presentation that fails to meet the expectation of the presenter may in fact have met the needs and expectations of the audience. Importantly the p cubed value of a presentation is that assigned by the audience. Formal feedback on the quality of presentations is notoriously poor, late and usually affected by multiple factors rendering it a blunt tool for the presenter seeking to use it to improve. A single audience member may share unfiltered opinion that dramatically affects the presenter, feedback may itself be very poorly quantified and non specific, effective feedback is hard to offer and actually one may even question the value of such diverse and disorganised feedback as to whether a presentation was any good. The best assessment of a presentation comes from a combination of self reflection at a distance from the delivery itself and a trusted, forewarned audience member who has a specific question to answer. The purpose of feedback is for the presenter to reflect on their presentation overall and to improve for the next presentation. The structure of that reflection might be best as a review of the three parts of a presentation aiming not to deconstruct but for future development. Minute breakdown of a presentation is seldom valuable as the same will never be given again; even the same topic revisited will be for a different audience in a different place at a different time and therefore different. The answer then to the question, “was that any good?” can be viewed as the product (p cubed value) of the message (p1), the media (p2) and the delivery (p3). Actual numbers are of value only to qualify those answers rather than quantify and compare presentations across time. A presenter should be able to assess whether the message they intended to deliver was received by the audience, did the media work to support that message effectively and was the delivery appropriate? Some influence on that discussion should be derived from interaction with the audience after the presentation. Beyond polite comment one can understand if the message has been received and valued. A few trusted and forewarned audience members can help a presenter to reflect more specifically. This is best done by asking particular questions about facets of the presentation and deciding was that any good? Presentations are complex. Assessing whether a presentation was any good is only of value in making the next presentation better. Reflect on improving a message, increasing the support the media gives to a message without adding distraction and the ease and nature of delivery. It is not perfection that should be sought but improvement as the audience will only receive the presentation once and their comment will be, “How good was that!””

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The targeted growth in the volume and ambition of RDI activities requires a significant increase in the national level of competence and education. At the same time, as R&D funding increases there will also be a need for many more highly educated experts and other RDI professionals. This will challenge the current education and RDI system. Finland must become a more attractive RDI operating environment in the international competition for domestic and foreign researchers and other experts. There is a need to build high-quality research environments, improve the attractiveness of research careers and expand the recruitment of foreign professionals. A high level of research and science is a prerequisite for receiving international research funding. Knowledge and technology created abroad must also be utilised more intensively. The mobility of researchers between companies, administration and research organisations needs to be strengthened. The needs of working life will be taken into account in competence development projects. In addition to education leading to a degree, diverse opportunities for continuous learning are required throughout the entire duration of working life. Civics, science education and investments in LUMA competence (mathematics, science and technology) will deepen and increase the human resources available in the RDI environment. Wide-ranging raising of competence levels 1. At least 50% of all young adults in Finland will have completed a higher education degree by 2030. To achieve this goal, higher education intake will be increased until 2030. The Ministry of Education and Culture will agree on the necessary measures with higher education institutions. 2. Through broad-based cooperation, more foreign students and researchers will be recruited into Finnish higher education institutions. To meet competence needs, the goal is for the number of new foreign degree students to gradually triple (15,000) from at present by 2030. 3. Higher education institutions, research institutes and regional actors will integrate international experts into higher education institutions, Finnish society and working life in cooperation with the business community and public sector employers. The goal is for 75% of foreign students who have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree to be employed in the Finnish labour market by 2030. 4. The Ministry of Education and Culture will implement a process to reform the education responsibility system. The aim is to give higher education institutions better opportunities to meet the competence needs of society and working life. The process will specify quality criteria for the allocation of educational responsibilities, taking into account the links between education and research, development and innovation. 5. The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment as well as higher education institutions and other educational institutions will ensure that the parliamentary reform of continuous learning takes into account the RDI competence needs of industries, including high productivity sectors. Utilising foresight information, education will be targeted multisectorally at the needs of the business community and other societal needs. 6. The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Academy of Finland will continue to support the profiling of universities and universities of applied sciences in their strong areas of competence. 7. Together with the Academy of Finland, the Ministry of Education and Culture will prepare and implement further measures on the international assessment of the Academy of Finland, which will be completed in 2022. Research careers, international experts and mobility 8. The measures of the 2021 report by the Ministry of Education and Culture’s working group on research careers will promote the utilisation of doctoral expertise in society more widely than at present. The measures will diversify the career paths of doctors and promote mobility and placement in different sectors of society. The aim is also to raise the education level of companies’ personnel. A report on the implementation of the measures will be made in 2024. 9. The Ministry of Education and Culture will examine the current arrangements for researcher education. At the same time, a study will be conducted as to whether the current regulation of the degree system also meets practical needs in researcher education. 10. In 2021–2022, the Academy of Finland will explore reforming the forms of funding for young researchers to support research work and careers. 11. The arrival in Finland of foreign students and experts will be streamlined. i. Business Finland and the Finnish National Agency for Education will use Work in Finland and Study and Work in Finland services to support the recruitment of international students and the hiring of international experts for higher education institutions, research institutes and companies. ii. Led by the Ministry of the Interior, a preliminary study will be made on a comprehensive reform of legislation on aliens (and permit procedures). The potential comprehensive reform would be implemented in the next government term. In cooperation with ministries, permit practices and the customer path (including Virtual Finland) will be digitalised in order to streamline work- and education-based immigration. iii. Business and employment services will support the recruitment of international experts into Finnish innovation and growth ecosystems. Broad-based utilisation of competence in RDI activities 12. The Ministry of Education and Culture, the Academy of Finland and higher education institutions will utilise, where applicable, in their activities the content and recommendations of a study to be completed in spring 2022 on the promotion of the equality, non-discrimination and diversity of teaching and research staff. 13. The Ministry of Education and Culture will support actors in science education and promoters of science competence in, among other places, science centres and teacher education. The objective is to deepen and expand citizens’ problem-solving abilities and understanding of the development of science, with the aim of promoting learning and Finland’s competence-based growth. 14. According to the vision of the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology (LUMA), both the individual and society will benefit from the growth of LUMA skills and competence in terms of increased wellbeing and sustainable development. Led by the Ministry of Education and Culture, an action plan for the strategy will be prepared in broad-based cooperation with stakeholders in 2022. 15. The Ministry of Education and Culture will commission an evaluation of the operating model of the Year of Research-Based Knowledge 2021 and the implementation of its objectives during 2022.

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The Baggage They Carry: Study Abroad and the Construction of “Europe” in the American Mind Keywords:Europe, United States, Study abroad, Education abroad, Engagement The object of this discussion is to explore some of the ways in which Europe has been created and recreated in the American mind and to relate those constructs to the limitations, opportunities and dynamics that may be explored in education abroad. Those constructs represent in part the baggage that students bring with them. In what follows, the structure will recreate the experience of students coming to Europe. The essay explores the baggage they carry; engagement with the European environment and, finally, the process of return. In that structure, which mirrors the experience of the study abroad student, a partial but suggestive set of perspectives emerge that go further than defending the traditional and, instead, present a cogent set of rich realities that collectively create the case for Europe.

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A good general education is useful. A satisfactory standard of English is important, together with the ability to handle money with confidence. It is useful to have experience of cash handling and customer service and of working in a field where health and safety is paramount. Candidates selected from the initial applications complete some online assessments and if successful, then attend an assessment centre. The next stage is an interview. If successful at the interview, you have to pass a medical examination which would include testing for alcohol and drugs. You must be generally fit and healthy, with good eyesight and hearing. You will require a satisfactory criminal record check from Disclosure Scotland to show that you are suitable for this type of work. Contact Disclosure Scotland for details on the type you would need. You must be at least 18 years of age. ScotRail, which operates 2,300 train services per day across Scotland, is the main employer. But there are also national rail companies operating in Scotland such as Virgin Trains, Cross Country and TransPennine. People 1st is the Sector Skills Council for the hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism industries. Careers That Move is in association with People 1st and the UKSP. It is the careers website for passenger transport and travel. Was this article useful? Please help us improve Planit by rating this article.

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What is physiotherapy? Physiotherapy is a science-based profession focused on maintaining or improving mobility, physical abilities, fitness and quality of life. Physiotherapists use their knowledge of anatomy and physiology to employ movement, exercise therapy and other physical methods. Some countries refer to physiotherapy as 'physical therapy'. Physiotherapists work with people of all ages who are affected by injury, illness or disability. They are a key member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team and play an important role in preventive health and maximising function. Our student body Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland's BSc in Physiotherapy (Hons) is offered in two formats: - School Leavers do a four-year degree programme - Graduate Entry students do a three-year programme Programme StructureCourses include: - Health, Behaviour and Patient Safety - Neuroscience Psychology - Clinical Placement - 36 months Start dates & application deadlines - Apply before DisciplinesPublic Health Physiotherapy Health Sciences View 99 other Bachelors in Health Sciences in Ireland We are not aware of any academic requirements for this programme. - Applicants must present a minimum of six subjects [2 x A-Level subjects (Grade C) and four passes (Grade C or above at GCSE level or Grade E or above at A-Level)], to include a minimum Grade C in GCSE English, Mathematics, a laboratory science and a second language. - If you are an EU International Baccalaureate (IB) applicant, you must present three subjects at Higher Level (minimum Grade 5) and three subjects at Standard Level (minimum Grade 4), to include English, Mathematics, a laboratory science and a second language. - Meet the minimum entry (matriculation) and specific subject requirements. - Meet the minimum Irish Leaving Certificate (ILC) points or equivalent. International18415 EUR/yearTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 18415 EUR per year during 36 months. EU/EEA3890 EUR/yearTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 3890 EUR per year during 36 months. Living costs for Dublin The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries. Studyportals Tip: Students can search online for independent or external scholarships that can help fund their studies. Check the scholarships to see whether you are eligible to apply. Many scholarships are either merit-based or needs-based. Apply and win up to €10000 to cover your tuition fees.

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THE LEARNING PYRAMID: It’s About Stepping Down, Not Climbing Up I kept reading over the textbook page again and again for a big test the next day, but everything just seemed to slip away from my mind. This was my first big high school test, and there was so much material I needed to learn on my own! The more I tried to read the notes, the more stressed I became about the test the next day. How do people do it? How do they decide to learn something on their own? How come no one taught me that I needed to do this on my own? This has been the question that has followed me my entire life, and it was not until I became an educator that I truly began to accurately understand the idea of learning. It starts with the simple question of how do we learn? There are countless videos, people, and techniques that show up when you google this question. Want to know a math equation? There’s sure to be a TikTok dance that’ll teach you just the trick for acing that test tomorrow! But learning — really learning something — can be a challenge, but one that we can overcome with more knowledge. In order to understand the process of learning, it’s essential to know how we learn. Why Learning Theory? It’s easy to get frustrated when learning a new skill or subject — no one likes feeling like a novice! What happens when a lesson rarely goes beyond a lecture or demonstration, preventing students from experiencing the messy and challenging part of learning by doing and evaluating their own work. A key thought to have when learning is to avoid the fixed notions of learning that we have about ourselves. It’s so easy to slip into thoughts like, “I am not smart enough,” or “I have never been good at math, so why bother now.” It is crucial that you approach learning with a growth mindset. A growth mindset is a wonderful way to approach learning — or any important challenges that you’re facing, or will face in the future. So, what does it mean to have a growth mindset? Having a growth mindset doesn’t mean always staying positive, or not giving up, but it means that you’re critical of your learning. It means working towards a goal, implement constructive criticism, and continue towards that goal even when you’re hit with roadblocks. A growth mindset is step one in self-learning, but a good thought must be accompanied by actions if students want to achieve their learning goals. Learning theory teaches us that students best acquire knowledge by becoming active participants in their own studies — so that they don’t just memorize facts for the next test, but build skills that stay with them. The pyramid helps us visualize where most of the learning occurs, what tools are needed for each step, and how to achieve the maximum level of self-learning. Step 1: Lecture (5%) In this passive learning step, the student is learning by listening, and a few visual cues. They are expected to listen to a teacher explain concepts, and be able to understand them without practice, or opportunities to implement the concepts in their own learning. In this process, retention is difficult to achieve because all learning is expected to occur through the process of listening, and not practice. Listening is essential to learning because sometimes we need someone to just tell us things, but lecturing doesn’t provide the space for practice and self-reflection. How do you know you learned something from listening if you never practiced it yourself? Step 2: Reading (10%) Another passive step of learning is reading. With reading the student is expected to gain insight through the act of reading the material at hand. Comprehension of reading is crucial, therefore, reading needs to occur so the student can develop those independent skills through practice. Independent reading is heavily stressed in schools with reading challenges and book logs, and it is important to maximize one’s reading. Keep in mind that reading without thinking about your reading is detrimental. Volume matters, but responding to that reading, verbally or through writing, is key. Even though reading is not high in learning percentage, it is an all-encompassing step because reading provides the stepping stone needed to achieve learning. Step 3: Audio-Visual (20%) This form of learning is a great tool for students that need a different mode of learning. Visual and audio presentations provide images and videos to accompany the learning, and this form of learning provides a different and creative form of learning that is needed for certain students and topics. Audiovisual learning engages the learners’ engagement through its medium, and it provides a new tool for the learner to tussle with. When the learner is given different options of engagement, they are more inclined to learn on their own. There have been many viral videos and learning challenges that are viewed and created for learners to prove that self-learning is not restricted to the typical classroom. Once again, this form of learning garners higher engagement from students but it lacks in getting students involved in the practice, and leaves a higher responsibility for learning on the student without a lot of support. Step 4: Demonstration (30%) In this step, the students are learning by watching a demonstration, and this can be live, through video, image, or audio. The students being able to watch an exhibition of learning is a great way to understanding that concept. This form of learning lets the students be more engaged in the topic of discussion, and it gets the students to want to do it themselves. When the learner sees something occur in front of them, it takes away the fear and apprehension they may feel about the topic. It gives them to try it on their own, and as effective as this method is, it is also barely used in the typical classroom. A demonstration can occur live, through an audio or visual presentation where the effectiveness of the presentation is preserved. To compare, watching someone cook a meal can inspire you to try and cook yourself; something that reading a recipe may not do. Step 5: Discussion (50%) This is the first step in the pyramid where learning goes from passive to an active form of learning as all steps above this are passive. Students are expected to engage in a group discussion where they can discuss, debate, and engage in analytical discussion with another. This form of learning teaches students to be active and aware of what they are learning and how they are articulating that learning. For instance, if the students are discussing the benefits of competitive sports for teenagers, they must able to provide research, anticipate counterclaims, and defend their perspectives to a group of peers. Discussion not only encourages the students to research and learn about their own topic, but creates an opportunity to listen and respond to what their peers are saying. It brings in the listening step discussed earlier, but now they are listening to respond to another peer — a key ingredient that is missing when they are listening to another lecture. Step 6: Practice by Doing (75%) This form of learning is hands-on, and it gets the students involved in the mindset of doing something more than once, and be ok with that process. How can you know you can cook unless you take the step of getting in the kitchen and start? Practicing is as much about beginning the action, as it is about continuing to hone that action. For instance, a musician will practice their instrument, or music piece daily to become better. A dance will rehearse their choreography continuously to improve their movements. This idea of learning by practice doesn’t only apply to sports or music, but practicing one’s writing will improve writing. Reading different types of genres is a practice of improving reading. The act of practice makes the students more self-aware of their strengths, and gives them insight into what they need to improve upon. Step 7: Teaching Others (90%) How do you know if you have truly mastered something — you teach it to others! Students who are worried about their understanding of a concept should always try and teach it to someone else. For example, if you’re teaching someone about the plant cell, then you need to know how the cell looks, what are the individual functions, or how do they interact with one another. When a student becomes the teacher, it gives them an active role in mastering the material at hand, and be able to now articulate their learning so others can learn from them. This is the highest form of learning because the student is fully immersed and aware of their learning. What are you learning, and what are other people saying and writing about it? Understanding how the topic is widely presented, written about, or discussed in the world is an essential first step. For instance, if you’re researching climate change, you want to read and absorb news articles and scientific articles about the topic. You can watch videos, documentaries, and news segments about the effects of global warming, or read essays about the causes of climate change. Absorption of material is important to learning because it gets you to question what you’re learning, or prompt you to investigate more. This step leads to acquiring more research skills, reading skills, and even beneficial in how you write about a topic. Another reason it helps the learning process because it gets you to make the connection to real-world topics of discussion. Hence, creating a ripple effect where they are engaged in their learning, and pay attention to current event topics. This step serves to provide you with a basic understanding of the topic, and gets you to be involved in the learning of the topic. Question and Compare Becoming a well-rounded reader and learner means understanding all aspects of your topic. As you gather multiple sources, you want to compare and contrast their arguments, evaluate sources for credibility, and learn to analyze the author’s point of view. This is an important skill to acquire because it’s important to be able to articulate your opinion in a proper manner — verbally or in writing. Being able to express one’s opinion is a skill that is not only a skill designated for school, but it is the skill needed for virtually all forms of a career that exist in the world. One is expected to express opinions, compare, and question when necessary, and to be able to do this adequately. This skill is multifaced, and provides students with skills that will help them in many different parts of their educational, and professional life. If you’re working on a math problem, think about other ways in which a single problem can be solved and practice those alternative ways. If you’re studying a period in history, gather primary, secondary, and tertiary sources from a variety of perspectives and learn to critically compare them. Practice Makes Perfect It’s one thing to learn something, and another thing to practice. You may have memorized all of the guitars and amp systems that are in the world, but that doesn’t mean you can actually play the instrument! That’s where self-learning — dedicated time for practice — comes in. Now keep in mind, practicing doesn’t mean overdoing it. There must be focused learning in place if you want to effectively practice what you’re learning. For example, a dancer struggling to learn a dance routine will not continue rehearsing the whole choreography over and over again because they know it is ineffective to their overall performance. They will focus on the step they are struggling with, and once they achieve that they will move on to the second. By focusing on your step of practice, you also focus on your learning, thus you improve your learning. When you decide to practice — math problems, musical instruments, or a form of the witting, be sure to pace yourself in that work. Take breaks, chunk the reading, or break down the math worksheet because this will help you gain the learning without becoming tired. The whole process of practice is to make sure that you’re able to focus on making learning more effective, and by implementing small steps can help you gain control of your own learning. Active learning comes from taking charge and keeping with it in a focused and effective way. As the learning pyramid summarizes, doing is a key step in self-learning because it is necessary to take stock of one’s strengths and weaknesses. Assessing Your Learning There’s a reason this is the last step in self-learning. Self-assessment is challenging! How do you know what you’re doing well and where you need improvement, and what next steps should be followed? Observable and measurable goals and checklists can help keep you on track. If your goal is to read five books by the end of the month, try keeping a daily or weekly reading log. Be specific with the chapters and your reading minutes, so that if you don’t meet your goal, you know where to look for the next steps. In this process it is important to keep that growth mindset present because self-assessment will help you grow; it will help you achieve the goal you set for yourself. Don’t forget — a growth mindset is all about working towards that goal, tackling the challenges, and working to achieve them. Self-assessment doesn’t mean you have to go at it alone — it means finding the proper tools to help you succeed. You can self-create a checklist with key bullets that can help you narrow your goal, or point out your next step. If you have written or creates something that you’re having a hard time assessing, take a break from it! Your mind must get a break, a distraction, or simply have its attention turned to a completely different topic. This will cause you less frustration and have you look at your work with a more critical lens when you return to it. Learning is a process — the steps of the learning pyramid prove that there is more than one way to do this process, and each step has its benefits, and some are more effective than others. It is important to keep the work going, take small steps in that work, and set goals that will allow you to grow. Remember, learning doesn’t just happen during the school day or when you’re doing homework. We are all lifelong learners, whether we’re memorizing the alphabet or riding a bike for the first time. It is not a one-time self-check-up at the doctor’s, but it needs constant revision and edits as the goal and task change in front of you. Go with the mindset of evolution. No matter the lesson, these steps can help you foster your own learning, both individually or with a partner.

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In 1997, Boys and Girls Country established the College and Career Program (C&C) to continue offering a family for our kids to come home to – beyond high school graduation – as they follow their own, individual paths to adulthood. Since that time, 111 of our kids have graduated from high school, and 26 have graduated from college or a technical program. While the C&C program has been amazing for our children, we recognize the challenges of transitioning from a structured environment, with Teaching Parents directing their daily lives, to a life after high school which is independent. The Boys and Girls Country Transitional Living Program, implemented this year, is designed to help equip students with the skills needed for independence and life on a college campus or a less structured environment. The program utilizes a three-phase approach with staff support, curriculum learning, and practical application of independent living skills. This holistic approach promotes the emotional, spiritual and behavioral stability required for successful independent living. It also teaches our kids how to adjust to becoming independent adults. This spring, all 5 of our high school graduates transitioned from living with their cottage family to living independently through this program. Transitioning from the structure of cottage life to independence has made them even more aware of the balance needed to be successful in life. The first day in the Transitional Living cottage was very eventful. During the first family meeting, the students established house rules, chore assignments, and a laundry schedule. When Mr. Malcolm, program manager, asked what was for dinner the students had no response. That’s not something our kids typically worry about, and it took a moment for that sense of responsibility to sink in. “The next 20 minutes were amazing to see,” shares program mentor Cassie Parkin. “The students went from being very hesitant at first to taking inventory of the pantry and the fridge. They wanted to figure out what they needed and what they actually wanted, and make a weekly meal plan based on that. This was a good lesson for the students as they were reminded that independent living does not mean the pantry would be magically stocked for them!” By the end of that meeting, our students had meals planned for the week, a commissary list filled out, a grocery list ready for shopping, and an ownership of the kitchen that can only come by getting together and making a plan. The Transitional Living Program creates a bridge which helps our students build confidence towards becoming self-sustaining contributing adults and fulfilling the ongoing mission of Boys and Girls Country.

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As so many school districts struggled with challenges of the pandemic, we adjusted our district teacher and needs analysis meetings to Zoom. Historically these were conducted face to face, whenever possible, but the huge increase in Zoom familiarity gave us the opportunity to reach so many more teachers by holding a larger number of virtual meetings. These meetings are extremely important to help us identify specific teacher needs within a district or area. Using program specific meetings we are able to break down the audience even further to provide valuable information to teachers looking for a specific licensure or certification. These information meetings are great way for teachers to learn about a partner university’s comprehensive program offerings and application process. Additionally they provide area teachers the direct contact and feeling of support that is so important when making an informed decision when choosing a graduate degree provider. Attendance at our individual school district meetings nearly doubled in 2020 from the previous year.

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As Dartmouth’s Web Director, my responsibility is to manage and coordinate all development of Dartmouth’s digital environment. Admissions is an important property in that environment. When it came time for a redesign, I persuaded Admissions to work with my in-house group, Web Services, rather than outsource the project. Having won Admissions as a client over external vendors, I was under pressure to deliver a service that would be comparable. However, because of my broader role at Dartmouth, I had to develop the site within the greater context of the Dartmouth web. The entire process required that I perform a careful balancing act of responding to requests while adhering to institutional standards and meeting user needs. When it comes time for decision-making in the design process, I have found the best approach is to let users drive the process. User-centered design takes the decision making out of the hands of the designers and stakeholders, and instead allows user needs and preference direct decision-making. We started the process with usability testing of a range of admissions sites at other institutions. We wanted to see how prospective students approach the process of finding a good match in very different contexts. In observing about 5–6 high school students it became clear that the process of finding a good school was very similar to that of finding a good partner. Prospective students first determine whether they are right for the school by looking for data, such as average test scores of admitted students. If they pass the “fittedness” test, then they explore whether the school is right for them—the location, whether it offers a major in their field of interest, athletics and arts offerings. If the school passes the test, then they look to the application process. As a result, our strategy was to provide prospective students and parents with data right up front. The current site has “Facts” front and center, complemented by images, videos, narrative, and stories that demonstrate that Dartmouth students are admitted for more than their ability to do well on standardized tests. The information design supports the natural process flow, with the “Facts” and “Learn” sections providing ample opportunities for prospective students to determine whether they are right for Dartmouth, and whether Dartmouth right for them. The “Visit” section supports the next phase in the process, providing information and opportunities for both virtual and physical campus visits. And the “Apply” section is the final step in the process, with information and functionality to support prospectives who have decided to take the plunge and become applicants. In April, when decisions have been made and applicants have been notified, the architecture also supports admitted students with a “Class of 20XX” section. The site also has an “Answers” section that answers commonly asked questions. Supporting these more practical needs is the “Perspectives” section. Here is where we attempt to communicate the richness of the study body through a variety of first-hand perspectives on the Dartmouth experience, through interviews, student blogs, live office hours, and more. This section aims to accomplish a challenging task: to provide authentic stories within the context of an official admissions website. We continually explore which means of communication is the most useful, impactful and, most importantly, credible to prospective students. The visual design is modeled on a flexible, grid-based layout. I generally build flexible, or “liquid,” layouts, but this was the first time I did so on a grid, and the result provides the best of both worlds. The page elements harmonize, and yet they scale to accommodate different window widths and text sizes. And the line length cannot become too long since the layout is restricted to a generous but readable maximum width. All of Dartmouth’s sites are built on the same codebase, so the Admissions site uses mostly the same code as, for example, Classics, Budget, and the Office of the President. This architecture allows for site-wide changes, such as the inclusion of an emergency banner on all sites in case of an emergency. It also allows a small team of web professionals to provide support to all Dartmouth departments and programs. On the down side, it limits design options.

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Post Falls School District continuously develops and implements a rigorous curriculum to meet the needs of each student. All students’ coursework aligns with the Idaho Content Standards and is measured through ongoing, embedded assessments. These state standards serve as a guide by every public school district in Idaho to establish consistency in academic standards in core content areas statewide while providing local control over the selection and implementation of curriculum resources. Teachers use board-approved curricular materials based on the Idaho Content Standards. ** See below for more information about which core (reading, writing, and math) materials are used at each level.

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An SLC research team comprised of Chelsea Cayer, fourth-year student, Marie-Line Jobin, program coordinator, and Sara Beck, communication teacher in the Honours Bachelor of Behavioural Psychology program had their research accepted for presentation at the Canadian Psychological Association 83rd Annual National Convention in June 2022 in Calgary. Last semester, the team conducted a research study to explore the experiences and needs of SLC students related to their fear of public speaking, whether giving presentations in-class or virtually. A total of 520 SLC students completed the online survey. In addition, as part of her academic thesis, Chelsea also reviewed the research literature on evidence-based practices in the field of behavioural psychology to decrease fear of public speaking and increase presentation skills. The online survey results demonstrate a need and interest from students to partake in a group therapy/program to reduce public speaking fear and improve their presentation skills. In addition, the literature review findings support the use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in combination with virtual reality as best practices. According to the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, all graduates must be able to communicate verbally in a clear, concise, and correct manner. Additionally, they list verbal communication in the curriculum as an essential employability skill (EES). This research study results demonstrate a need and potential benefit to create a fear-reducing and skills-building confidence group to be offered at SLC. Decreasing students’ fear and increasing their confidence and skill to present to an audience will support their future career success. “It’s been an incredible experience to work with my program faculty in this research capacity, and an honour for it to be chosen to be among the research poster presentations at the conference,” Chelsea said. “I’m grateful to have had this opportunity at SLC and to my professors for their guidance and leadership.” The Canadian Psychology Association is the national association for the science, practice, and education of psychology in Canada. With over 7,000 members and affiliates, the CPA is Canada’s largest association for psychology. With an average attendance of between 1,200 and 2,000 delegates, the CPA’s Annual National Convention brings together the nation’s best and brightest practitioners, researchers, educators and students. For more information: convention.cpa.ca

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Music Secondary Education, Bachelor of Music Education School of Music College of Arts and Letters This degree prepares you for a secondary education certificate, with a K-12 endorsement in music. This program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). - Available Emphasis Areas: - Choral - Emphasis - Instrumental - Emphasis To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below. - All of Northern Arizona University's liberal studies, diversity, junior-level writing, and capstone requirements. - All requirements for your specific academic plan(s). - At least 30 units of upper-division courses, which may include transfer work. - At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc. - A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University. In addition to University Requirements: - At least 95 units of major requirements including 65 units of core requirements and 30-36 units of emphasis requirements, depending on your choice of emphasis - Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy Liberal Studies requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements - For this major the liberal studies prefixes are MUS and MUP - Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 130 units Candidates in this program are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, professional knowledge, and professional dispositions to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements. Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills, professional dispositions are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded in the following course(s): Please note that students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details. |Minimum Units for Completion||130 - 136| |Highest Mathematics Required||MAT 114| |Additional Admission Requirements||Required| |Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching||Required| |University Honors Program||Optional| |Progression Plan Link||View Progression Plan| Student Learning Outcomes Students receiving an undergraduate degree in music will demonstrate: - Continuing Musical Growth and Independence in the following ways: - Applying performance skills on his/her principal instrument or voice - Demonstrate technical aptitude on his/her principal instrument or voice - Perform individually and in ensembles of different types - Investigating specific repertoire - Exercise and defend aesthetic judgment by recognizing and interpreting appropriate literature. - Application of Musicianship Skills in performance, teaching and/or critical analysis of music including: - Aural Perception - Keyboard Competency appropriate to the students’ degree program and satisfactory progress in Music Theory - Composition or Improvisation. - Analysis of and the ability to apply understanding to enhance students’ performance, teaching, and/or critical analysis of Tonal and Post-Tonal Musical Works and Topics through discussion of the following elements of music: - Rhythm and Meter - Knowledge of the Historical and Cultural Contexts of Western and non-Western Music including: - Characteristics of musical styles, - Compositional techniques - Performance practices - Societal and cultural influences on the creation, performance, and dissemination of music. - Knowledge and Application of Research Materials, Critical Thinking Skills, and Writing Skills - Basic knowledge and appropriate application of primary and secondary research materials pertaining to music, - Effectively communicate in writing on topics in the field of music through the purposeful use of evidence, insightful reasoning (critical thinking), and supporting details. - Synthesis of Learning Experiences - Synthesize understanding of musical forms, processes, and structures in compositional, performance, analytical, scholarly and pedagogical applications appropriate to the degree program. - Employ multiple areas of learning within music and, ideally, disciplines outside music through a capstone project or culminating experience. - Students develop a background in music and musicianship that prepares them for a wide range of further educational and vocational activities that include music as a component. Teaching (general): Executable knowledge of philosophies and pedagogies specific to teaching general music, choral music, and/or instrumental music K-12 settings, including: (MUS 200, 308, 353, 455, 457, 495C) - Planning instruction that supports students in meeting learning objectives by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum design, and cross-disciplinary skills. - Applying a variety of instructional strategies in order that learners may develop a deep understanding of content areas for the purpose of applying that understanding in meaningful ways. - Utilizing multiple methods of assessment to monitor learner progress, to guide lesson planning, and to engage learners in their own growth. - Understanding how learners grow and develop. - Recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas. - Designing and implementing developmentally appropriate music learning experiences. - Assessing aptitudes, experiential backgrounds, and interests of individual learners and groups of learners and tailoring lesson plans accordingly. - Working to create environments that encourage positive social interaction and active engagement in learning. - Applying theories related to individual and cultural differences to lesson planning, with the goal of creating inclusive learning environments. - Arranging and adapting music for divergent classroom environments and student abilities. - Demonstrating skills in rehearsal techniques; acquiring communicative and expressive conducting technique; and leading performance-based instruction. - Acquiring advanced keyboard skills such as scales, triads, seventh chords; progression and resolution of the diatonic and chromatic chords; harmonization of melodies; transposition of chord progressions to different keys; arpeggios. - Students graduating with a Choral emphasis will become proficient in diction and choral conducting, enhanced by private lessons in conjunction with vocal ensemble experiences. - Students graduating with an Instrumental emphasis will become proficient in instrumental conducting and techniques in teaching woodwinds, percussion, brass, and strings, enhanced by private lessons in conjunction with instrumental ensemble experiences. - Executable knowledge of organizational procedures, policies, and current trends/changes specific to music teaching and learning in K-12 settings. (MUS 308, 499) - Inspiring students to want to understand and make music. - Advocating on behalf of music’s place in K-12 curricula. - Remaining current in the field of music education. Additional Admission Requirements - Admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required. To be eligible for admission to the program, candidates must meet the following requirements: 30 units of coursework which includes: A minimum GPA of 2.5 in all content major coursework (must have taken at least 3 units) and a cumulative 2.5 GPA in all courses. - You must be declared in this major. - In order to declare a Music Major, you must apply and be accepted to the School of Music. Please visit the School of Music website. - Completion of a teacher-education orientation for Secondary Education - Submission of a copy of your State-approved Identity-Verified Print (IVP) fingerprint clearance card, obtainable through the Arizona Department of Public Safety (602-223-2279) Take at least the following 95 units with grades of "C" or better and a minimum GPA of 2.5 in all music coursework: Core Requirements (65 units) - MUP 101, MUP 102 (2 units) - MUS 121, MUS 122, MUS 131, MUS 132 (8 units) - MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 231, MUS 232 (8 units) - MUS 241, MUS 242 (6 units) - MUS 330W (3 units) - MUP 201, MUP 202 (2 units) - MUS 260 (3 units) - MUS 200 (2 units) - MUS 308 (1 unit) - MUS 353, MUS 455, MUS 457 (6 units) - MUP 380 (1 unit) - MUP 431 (2 units) - EPS 325 (3 units) - BME 437 (3 units) - POS 220 (3 units) - MUS 495C (12 units) Emphasis Requirements (Select One): Choral Emphasis (30 units) - MUP 111 (1 unit each), MUP 211 and MUP 311 (2 units each). Private Lessons: Students enroll in private-lesson instruction for a minimum of 6 terms: 2 terms each of 111, 211, 311. (10 units) - MUP 160, MUP 260, MUP 360, MUP 460 (1 unit each). Chorale/Vocal Ensembles: Students enroll in large conducted ensembles for a total of 8 terms. To satisfy this requirement, choose from Shrine of the Ages Choir, Men's Chorale, and Women's Chorale. (8 units) - MUS 161, MUS 162, MUS 421 (4 units) - MUS 410 (3 units) - MUS 490 (1 unit each). To satisfy this requirement, students enroll in Choral Arranging and two additional topics of their choice. (3 units) - MUP 435 (2 units) - Choral Emphasis (30 units) Instrumental Emphasis (36 units) - MUP 111, MUP 211, MUP 311 (2 units each). Private Lessons: Students enroll in private-lesson instruction for a minimum of 6 terms: 2 terms each of 111, 211, and 311. (12 units) - MUP 170, MUP 270, MUP 370, MUP 470 Instrument Ensembles: Students enroll in large conducted ensembles for a total of 8 terms. To satisfy this requirement, choose from Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, and Symphonic Band. Guitar majors must take Guitar Ensemble, and Piano majors must take Piano Ensemble. For Wind, Brass and Percussion majors, 2 of the 8 terms required must be Marching Band. (8 units) - MUP 107, MUP 108, MUP 109, MUP 110, MUP 207, MUP 208 (required for wind majors only), MUP 209, MUP 210 (Techniques courses) (8 units) - MUP 433 (2 units) - MUS 410. To satisfy this requirement, students enroll in the Orchestration topic. (3 units) - MUS 490 (1 unit each). To satisfy this requirement, students enroll in any three topics of their choice. (3 units). - Instrumental Emphasis (36 units) In all of our teacher education programs, you are required to complete a student teaching or internship experience. In addition, a minimum number of units of practicum is required, which involves supervised field experience with a practicing teacher. Before being accepted to student teaching, the following criteria must be met: - Admission to the teacher education program - NAU GPA must be at least 2.5, with a GPA of 2.5 in all music courses, with no grade lower than a "C" in the major. - Passing score on the required Profession Disposition Modules - Complete all plan requirements. - All major coursework, with the exception of MUS 200, must be completed within the six years prior to student teaching. - All candidates must demonstrate social and emotional maturity consistent with professional standards of classroom instruction as well as adequate physical health for teaching. In order to obtain an AZ teaching certificate, you must pass the following required Arizona Educator Exams - Music Content Knowledge Exam - Secondary Professional Knowledge Exam Arizona Teacher Certification In order to obtain an Arizona teaching certificate you must pass both the appropriate National Evaluation Series subject matter test and the National Evaluation Series Secondary Assessment Professional Knowledge. Additional coursework is required, if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 130-136 units of credit. You may take these remaining courses from any academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you. (Please note that you may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.) Please note that this plan takes five years (nine terms) to complete. Be aware that Arizona state teacher certification requirements leading to Institutional Recommendations may change at any time, and may impact program of study requirements. Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also take. For prerequisite information click on the course or see your advisor.

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This week, you will develop your personal philosophy of teaching in a written statement, articulating your beliefs about important educational theories and practices. Your teaching philosophy should be based on what is meaningful to you in your approach to teaching. Note: As your experiences and beliefs about teaching grow and change, your philosophy will also change. Therefore, at the end of this course, you will submit your revised teaching philosophy with a brief discussion of how your philosophy has changed or developed during this course. There is no right or wrong way to write a personal teaching philosophy. However, for the purpose of this assignment, please follow the assignment guidelines below to connect your beliefs, goals, and strategies into a coherent approach to help students learn and grow

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Whether college students select to be in the arts or legislation, Cardona informed the graduating class, their faculty experience has made them stronger. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, one of 4 Latinos in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, urged college graduates to embrace their uniqueness as their “superpower” to perform their profession and life targets. We are looking for expressions of curiosity from faculties throughout Science Victoria to participate on this program. Extend yourself with these free public lectures and professional improvement opportunities. Through education, counselling and psychology, our ardour is to have impact and to make a positive difference in our community. Applicants will no longer be required to submit GRE check scores for graduate admissions in an effort to improve educational access. - The forty three contaminated college students came from “faraway states and nearby areas as properly,” Gering stated. - For many years, the state leveraged investments in world-class educational establishments to turn into a worldwide leader in the biotech trade. t no level in our nation’s history have we asked a lot of our education system as we do today. We ask that our major and secondary colleges prepare all students, regardless of background, for a lifetime of studying. We ask that lecturers guide each baby towards deeper understanding whereas concurrently attending to their social-emotional development. And we ask that our establishments of upper learning serve students with a far broader vary of life circumstances than ever earlier than. Online Stakeholder Data Collection Within The Czech Republic “Your health is our guiding concern, and our ideas and prayers are with those that are in isolation or quarantine.” “This outbreak highlights challenges to implementation of prevention strategies related to persuading students at faculties and universities to adopt and cling to really helpful mitigation measures outside campus,” the CDC report mentioned. Among faculty members, 76 p.c said that online studying has “negatively impacted the standard of college education in Ontario,” according to a survey by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. I’m frequently impressed with how Idahoans are weathering this storm, and I know the power and innovation of this time will serve us properly sooner or later. At the SDE, we work intently with districts, constitution faculties, stakeholders and other businesses to help navigate the gentle closure and put together for the approaching year. And we’re working to develop a statewide, opt-in studying management system in order that small rural districts aren’t working at an obstacle in a distance-learning setting. Alum Amy Peterson strives to make her science classroom a space the place every pupil is challenged and comfy sharing their ideas. Extra From Education Unlock Literacy focuses on constructing foundational learning and core reading abilities. New ways for education to use knowledge and synthetic intelligence to discover learning gaps or provide higher pupil engagement. The Ministry of Education has reported people to the authorities after they’d found that these folks have been allegedly selling worksheets for college students on social media. A child’s attendance price in ninth grade is a greater indicator of dropping out than check scores. Two Educators Reflect on Leading for Racial Justice Two education leaders, one an assistant principal, the opposite a school member at Harvard’s ed school, speak about racism in schools. Meet the Parent Activists of the Pandemic Four stories of fogeys who organized others to get children the education and assets they need, despite institutional head winds. Outdoor education instructor Education Mark Savage challenges his students with a game at school at Brewer High School in Brewer, Maine in April. Browse key indicators on the condition of education in the United States at all ranges, from prekindergarten by way of postsecondary, as well as labor drive outcomes and worldwide comparisons. Nonprofit, Public Service Organization Learn how one of the nation’s preeminent packages in design and manufacturing stays forward of the curve by educating industry-relevant ideas and getting ready college students for the long run. greater than 200 million children can be out of faculty, and only 60 per cent of young individuals would be completing upper secondary education in 2030. COVID-19 Global Education Coalition, a multi-sector partnership between the UN household Education & Science, civil society organizations, media and IT partners to design and deploy innovative options. Together they assist countries deal with content material and connectivity gaps, and facilitate inclusive studying opportunities for kids and youth during this period of sudden and unprecedented educational disruption. — Montessori Education (@MontessoriEduc2) May 11, 2021 Still, greater than a third of Division I public universities, 37 percent, reported expenses exceeded revenue that 12 months. Although some donor help may be expected to offset losses, a good portion of donor support comes from seating precedence programs — donors buying the best to pick seats underneath certain circumstances. Because sports activities are strategically necessary for universities, Moody’s expects universities to provide “extraordinary assist” like internal loans in order to stay current on debt payments for athletic facilities. Colleges and universities might faucet their financial reserves to close budget gaps tied to the pandemic, the scores company said in a report released Thursday morning. In addition to shifting its instruction to distant studying, the college mentioned it might continue to “greatly reduce residence corridor occupancy,” which it stated had been at 60 p.c capability.

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Are you a post-secondary institution that offers credit to CASE students? Complete this form to be added to this page. CASE certified teachers can partner with colleges and universities to college credit to high school students completing CASE courses. Rutgers University offers up to 17 transfer credits to high school students who have successfully completed a specific CASE course taught by a CASE certified teacher. For more information or to complete an articulation agreement, please visit this link. Interested in highlighting this opportunity in your classroom? Print a poster at this link! School districts across Iowa have opportunities to make agricultural science education more of a priority in their school systems. Those school districts currently offering CASE courses to their students can make those credits count towards high school graduation in a different way beyond elective credits and help students meet the Regent Admission Index (RAI) to attend Iowa’s universities. For more information regarding Iowa Core Standards and adding value to agriculture credit, check out this link. Blue Ridge Community and Technical College offers up to 15 credit hours for students who successfully complete specific CASE courses taught by a certified CASE Instructor and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in said course. These courses will be posted to specific Agribusiness electives as outlined in our articulation agreement. For specific information, contact the Agribusiness Program Manager, Tiffany Hine. Learn more about Blue Ridge Community and Technical College at this link. Michigan agricultural education students who are program completers by completing all twelve AFNR segments of standards and earn their State FFA Degree are eligible to receive six credits at Michigan State University. CASE curriculum can be used towards the program completer requirement. Students must submit the form at this link. Students who complete a CASE pathway, have an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or above, and successfully present their CASE research project are eligible for three credits through the University of Maryland's Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA). For more information regarding this opportunity, contact Roy Walls and review the document attached here.

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MBHS Student Surveys Mountain Brook Schools are engaging in a process for renewing our district and school accreditation this year. The accreditation process includes gathering insights from all stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers, staff, and administrators through surveys, dialogue, and documented evidence. The purpose of the accreditation process is to assess our schools against national standards of excellence. The first step in the process is to get your responses on surveys regarding the climate and culture of the school and about the experiences you have in your classes. Please answer each question or statement honestly, with the attitude of helping to make our school and school system even better. Use the links to respond to the Student surveys for our school. There are two student surveys.

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It’s important to remember that the way in which we listen is the way we make others around us feel cared for, valued, and heard. Active listening skills help accomplish this! Building connection with each other, learning to understand each other, and growing together are all benefits of active listening! We’ve discussed before on this blog about how important it is to listen (and learn). Don’t remember? Click here! We all know that listening is an important skill, but there’s a huge difference between active listening and every other type of listening. It’s easy to pay attention with the intent to react to what someone is saying, or to turn the conversation back to you and your priorities. What is active listening? Active listening involves not just hearing what another person says, but understanding as well. It’s a combination of using all of your senses, plus providing verbal and nonverbal cues. Sounds like a lot to remember when the goal is to be doing something as “simple” as listening, right? It is! Active listening takes more effort and requires more attention on the part of the “listener.” What are the benefits of active listening? Aside from the connections you’re building, the relationships you’re improving, and the ideas/thoughts/opinions you’re learning, listening offers SO much. The more you learn, the more you understand. The more you understand, the better you feel. The better you feel, the better the person you’re listening to feels. The better they feel, the more comfortable they will be sharing with you … creating a stronger foundation to your relationship, less stress for everyone, and the beginning of great communication skills! Need a brush-up on your communication skills? Click here! Here are five ways you can work toward being a better active listener today! Make it your goal in every conversation to learn something from the other person. If we initiate conversation and all of our interactions knowing that we are always open to learning, we will … you guessed it … learn! Ask open-ended questions. By asking questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” answer, you will continue the conversation, engage and show that you’re interested in what the other person has to say, and find out howthey feel about it. #alwayslearning. Yes or no questions are sometimes easier to ask, but real connection and relationships require more. You won’t regret it! Need a few open-ended question examples to get you going? Use the questions below and adjust them to fit your conversation. The biggest take-away? Make them questions that fit your conversation that need to be answered with more than a “yes” or “no.” - Can you help me understand that a little better? - How’s your life changed since we last spoke? - How does that make you feel? - Can you tell me more about that? - What challenges are you facing? - What do you find exciting in your life right now? - What are your goals and how do you plan on reaching them? - What are your biggest concerns for the future? Stop talking, make eye contact, and focus on what the person speaking is saying. Put the phone away, stop thinking about the story you’re going to tell after they’re done speaking, don’t cut them off when they’re sharing, hear what they’re saying and find meaning in it. Listen to listen, not to respond. Be empathetic (this is not the same as sympathetic). Do you know the difference? These two words seem (and sometimes feel) the same, but they aren’t. It’s important to know the difference! Sympathy isn’t bad, but empathy will help you understand someone more thoroughly! Sympathy is when you share concern for someone and perhaps a situation they are experiencing, and you wish for a specific outcome for them. It’s your own feelings placed on someone else’s situation. Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in the situation of someone else: to feel the emotions, opinions, and ideas of that person. It’s allowing yourself to feel how that person might feel. Want more definitions? Click here! 5. Be Positive Encourage and promote further conversation. Encourage the person speaking to continue to share by showing them you’re listening. Smile, nod, lean forward to engage, ask questions, offer a compliment… your encouragement and positivity are contagious! Needless to say, we can all likely put to use one or all of these suggestions in our conversations. Pick one (or three!) and work toward incorporating it into building up and strengthening your relationships. It won’t happen overnight, and it will take work (maybe even uncomfortable work, sorry!). But, if you keep after it, you’ll start to see the benefits: Your connections will be stronger and you’ll find that we all have something to learn from each other. What are some ways you engage in active listening and how has it helped your relationship with others? Comment below!

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If learning were the sole objective of schooling, it would make good, common sense to teach to the needs, requirements, experience, and interests of each and every student. That is the most effective way to teach outside of school so why wouldn’t it be the most effective way to teach in? However, formal education has many other social functions, including certification (i.e. official verification that a prescribed body of knowledge has been mastered in a prescribed way as judged by experts/teachers/professors who have themselves been certified by the same process). Changing the focus from the certification to the learning, from what the teacher knows to how the student (and the teacher) learns unsettles some of the deepest assumptions about education, hierarchy apprenticeship, society, authority, power, knowledge, discipline, and authority. No wonder change is so difficult! If you are committed to turning your traditional classroom into a student-centered space, you are working against at least five obstacles: 2-the regulatory system of education, kindergarten to professional school; 5-everyone else in society (pundits, legislators, technocrats, every know-it-all-who-has-ever-been-to-school-and-who-is-sure-that-qualifies-him/her-as-an-expert). The only one of those five over which you have control is the first: you. So let’s start there. (Don’t worry. We’ll be dealing with the other four later in this series. . . .) So that’s where we need to put our own energies first. On our selves. The prof. You. Me. Moi. The teacher. The expert. You spent a long time getting to the front of the class. The big question: What’s in it for you to give up that power? So much! Really. There is so much to gain. Unless you enjoy hanging out with other middle-aged (or middle-aged- acting) adults who like to spend their time complaining about “the younger generation” (as if that were a novel complaint in the course of human history . . .), the great thing about student-centered learning is that it pretty much changes your alignment. You become allied with instead of arrayed against your students. Instead of a narrow-minded focus where they--students-- are the enemy, the colonial subjects, the unruly people who must be subjugated, disciplined, tamed, shamed, humiliated, or otherwise taught a lesson (what a metaphor!), with student-centered learning, you become--in the phrase I associate with Howard Rheingold (I’m not sure if he coined it or just used it with panache): co-learners. If my choice is between being stodgy Ichabod Crane, the disciplinarian, or being an active, engaged, and activist co-learner, I will take the co-learner role every time. It’s a lot more fun. Yes, I know there's a lot of space in the middle... but our whole society has tipped so much in the direction of outcomes, accountability, standards, summative testing, and other metrics that it is really time for a bit of rabble-rousing in the other direction. Please John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Lev Vygotsky, et al, rise from your graves: we need you again to inspire us again with some progressive principles. Taylorite education has won, even in our era of interactive DIY learning. Also I confess, although I believe whole-heartedly in student-centered learning, it's hard to practice what I preach. I lapse all the time. I don't know anyone who doesn't. It is hard--for all of us--to break old habits. So, before we can even begin to get rid of Ichabod Crane, we need to do a lot of exorcism of our own training, thinking, reflexes, habits, and comfort levels. Here's the good news: you don't have to be perfect, and, the great thing about co-learning is you can tell your students up front that you are using the experimental method and they are part of the learning experiment. They will come up with great ideas if you let yourself let them. Here is my rule of thumb in pushing myself out of the expert role and into the co-learner role: I like to ask myself how much or how little I can stand in their way. It's a choice, and I survey what the options are. Then, I ask how much can I build a platform or an opportunity or a method or a system or a community or a network upon which students (collectively) can together do far much more than I ever dreamed possible. This doesn’t mean I do less work. What it means is that I do a different kind of work. Here are some practical steps that have worked for me: (1) Less prof, more teamwork. More trusting in others. More uncertainty about outcomes. More introspection. All of this means that I find myself now paying more attention to method and process. More awareness that content is far less important (and is retained less) than experience, practice, theory put into use, and on and on. Imagine if medical school were only sitting in lectures and taking multiple choice exams, not being an intern, then a resident? A lot of what I do in my classrooms borrows from the classic “See one. Do one. Teach one” model of surgical training but adds a fourth one: “Share One” since I believe student-centered learning is also about public contributions to knowledge, believing in the value of learning enough to share it with others beyond one’s self. (2) Making the class public takes the spotlight off me, the prof, at the front of the room, and redirects energy outward, beyond the class and into the world. I no longer have students do work that only I, as a teacher, will see. That’s another way of getting over myself. I am not the first, last, or only audience of my student’s work. Any more than I, as a supervisor of a new surgeon, would be the first, last, or only audience of that surgeon’s work: the patient is. In my classrooms, there has to always be the equivalent of a patient. That is why I insist upon building an online community, on having my students talk to one another on line, why they become editors of one another’s published works, why they--not me--set the standards. We’ll be looking at each of these things in this series. But none of them work, none of them count, unless I can get out of the way, unless I understand that I am in the way. (3) Delegate and share authority with the students in the class. Here is an example. To my knowledge, I have not had one plagiarized paper in the decade or more since I’ve been offering a student-centered classroom. My students take roles in editing an online publication of final works or they write a final book or they make a final website and they edit one another’s work to perfection in order to be publishable both under the work of the individual author and under the group, with their own names attached as editors. I help them write their own resumes in order to give themselves author and editor credit for this work in a professional way. But that means they take professional responsibility for the work under their charge. To date, no one has accepted a plagiarized paper (to my knowledge at least) from another student, not when their name has been attached as the editor. (4) Allow students to pool their talents in order to produce a great collective outcome (an alternative to competing to see who is the best student in the class, gerting rid of the teacher's pet model of in-class hierarchy). I have had students who are terrible proofreaders ask other students to help them, but it is almost always followed by an offer such as: “I am good at formatting and, if you proofread for me, I’m happy to put in all the images and work with the HTML and format your essay.” As long as they tell me how they have worked out this collaborative arrangement equitably, so no one is taking advantage of anyone, and so everyone has learned from the process, I am happy to oblige. That is a major life skill. And I don’t have to be a dictator. All of this is about getting over that first obstacle to student-centered learning: myself. It is about constructing ways of sharing authority, delegating power, assigning roles, and sharing responsibility. (And sometimes, all that is really hard. There are no lesson plans.) Finally, if you are rethinking all your own reflexes as a professor in order to transform your traditional methods of teaching, you need the equivalent of an energy drink. Here are some very quick, direct, simple resources that I find inspiring and motivating. There are lots of more intense, theoretical texts you can be reading. I offer these quick, popular, trade audience (non-scholarly) reads and viewings just to get started: Katherine Reynolds, “What If Everything You Knew About Disciplining Kids Was Wrong?” Negative consequences, timeouts, and punishment just make bad behavior worse. But a new approach really works. Mother Jones, July/August 2015 Issue Excellent retrospective article in Mother Jones on the long, distinguished career of educator Ross Greene who reverses the Skinnerite tradition of “consequences” (good or bad) for kids’ behavior and action and instead works with kids who are acting out to come up with solutions, on their own or with the help of adults, to the quandary they are acting out about. This gets to the deep root of student-centered learning and all that, as college professors, we have to think about reversing in the college classroom. This is not a superficial fix. It is a deep social and psychological transformation to a new way of thinking about individuals, authority, society, difference, and dissent. “An Ecological View of Equity” by Nichole Pinkard https://vimeo.com/130571863 In her Digital Media and Learning Conference keynote, Pinkard examines the importance of working toward equity by both strengthening individuals and fixing broken systems. Marina Krakovsky, “The Effort Effect,” Stanford Alumni, https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=32124 A concise overview of the career of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck whose work shows that students who believe they have the capacity to grow do, in fact grow. More important, students from disadvantaged backgrounds have absorbed the idea that they are innately inferior and lack this potential. But--here’s the good news--students can be shown that this is untrue, that they can, in fact, learn and grow. And they do. Michael Wesch, “Digital Ethnography” (http://mediatedcultures.net/michael-wesch/) Wesch is one of the most radical practitioners of student-centered learning. His blog, Digital Ethnography (http://mediatedcultures.net/michael-wesch/), is a gold mine of ideas, but here’s one: to study agining and the sociology of a retirement community, the students in Wesch’s Digital Ethnography class at Kansas State University moved into a retirement community for a semester. One year, the students made a beautiful video based on ethnographic interviews with the residents; this year, they are making a single-player game based on the consequential life choices and circumstances being faced by the residents they lived with for the year. Their work can be viewed on Mike's site. More inspiration for all of us. And for a particularly charming talk by Mike Wesch, featuring his one-year old son learning to walk down a stair by himself: https://kansasstate.mediasite.com/mediasite/Play/f9f9b2ffa5cc44dc9d7c7ed... Steven L. Berg, “Scholarly Voices,” https://www.hastac.org/groups/scholarly-voices On the HASTAC site, history and English professor Steven L. Berg has created a student site, Scholarly Voices, where his students at Schoolcraft College, a community college in Livonia, Michigan, blog their own work. The range and quality is unfailingly interesting. Even more inspiring, the Schoolcraft students often venture off the student blog and make comments (sometimes quite pointed) on the opinions and research offered by senior scholars. They can be fearless, and they are always respecful, smart, and serious--true role models. Steven L. Berg, Student portal and project on “Unflattening by Nick Sousanis” http://scholarlyvoices.org/unflattening/index.html This is inspiring several times over. Nick Sousanis wrote Unflattening, a comic about comics and visual literacy, as a dissertation at Columbia Teacher's College. Prof Berg's students are writing a variety of projects inspired by, annotating, using, and creating lesson plans for Unflattening (the stunningly beautiful and provocative dissertation was almost immediately published as a book by Harvard University Press). Every part of this should be inspiring to any professor who is self censoring. Nick, Steve, and these Schoolcraft undergrads are all role models for the rest of us. Lee Skallerup, “College Ready Writing - Peer-Driven Learning,” http://collegereadywriting.blogspot.com/p/peer-driven-learning.html This series of blog posts explores Professor Skallerup's 3-plus year peer-driven learning project, sharing everything from her motivations, to the challenges, to nuts-and-bolts explanations of how she did what she did. Quoting her: "What I am most proud of is that this was done with students from a rural state institution, students who came from 'failing' schools, students who came in under-prepared, students who were first-generation, students who were from some of the poorest zip-codes in the country. They did it. Never accept that 'it can’t be done here, with these students.'" Lee and her students again inspire us with their example. THIS PART OF A CONTINUING SERIES ON STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING: How Do I Get Started? A Step-by-Step Guide to Designing a Student-Centered Classroom

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Give the Gift of Hope. These are the MEANS initiatives to help children heal and recover from the trauma caused by natural disasters like Typhoon Haiyan. Our initiatives will empower our local ministry partners in the Philippines to enable them demonstrate Jesus’ compassion for the children Small Amount. Big Impact. Great Rewards. Feed Projects – This is a fun day event for the children living in the disaster area. There will be storytelling, games, clowning and other fun activities. The children will be served snacks and lunch. A string backpack containing bath soap, face towel, toothbrush, toothpaste and combs will be distributed to the children. They can also use the string backpack as school bag. These string backpacks are made locally by mothers who live in the disaster area. $500 to sponsor an event. Read to Grow Project – to provide books to the local libraries in the c Read to grow communities we serve that are affected by the typhoon. Many school books were damaged. MEANS will give books and help established reading centers in the community for children. A Read-to-Grow Reading Center is a safe place for underprivileged and traumatized children and young adults to go to. Reading these books will open their minds to the reality of God’s love, His presence in the world and will teach them good Christian values, The child’s story books are written by Filipino authors and printed locally by OMF Literature Publishers in the Philippines. $200 to start a reading center. Plant Trees. Care of Creation – Plant with Purpose. Clean the air. Protect the environment. Change lives. Feed the Poor. Plant trees. Your $10 gift will be a great investment for this cause. We will plant fruit trees native to the community. Who will benefit? The harvest will be harvested and consumed by the school community. The garden tools that MEANS will purchase to plant these trees will be donated to the school. A year from now the trees will add beauty to the surroundings. MEANS is partnering with local volunteers Villa to work together and experienced the joy of serving the community. The community will also get involved in the clean up and plant trees. Flip Flops – The Flip-flops (rubber slippers) will help protect children’s feet from rough terrain, infection, and soil-based diseases. Some soil-based diseases not only cause physical symptoms, but create cognitive impairment too, crippling a child’s long-term potential. The children’s feet are usually neglected by relief workers because most of the basic needs like food, medicine, etc., are met first before other things. Flip Flops - are less expensive to purchase in the Philippines but it is not a priority to most of the poor communities. The Flip Flops are purchased locally. We believe that purchasing local goods will help generate income and help the local economy. $10.00 for 10 pairs for 10 children in need. Our local ministry partners have the information, network, capacity and volunteers to help in the implementation of MEANS Projects and distribution of donations in kind.

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Why do I need a high school diploma or equivalency certificate? - allows you to apply for jobs or apprenticeships in industries where employers require a high school diploma or equivalency certificate - allows you to accomplish personal and career goals - allows you to apply for more financial aid at community colleges (Some financial aid may be available for students without a high school diploma or equivalency certificate through other sources such as CalWorks, WIOA, JTO.) Earning a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate shows that you have the basic skills and knowledge included in a high school education. Potential employers look for employees who have these basic skills and knowledge. Colleges and other advanced training programs also expect students to have these skills and knowledge. Although it is recommended, you do not have to earn a high school diploma or equivalency certificate in order to enroll in most classes at the community colleges or adult schools. Click on the questions below to discover which pathway is the best for you. Both the high school diploma and high school equivalency certificate lead to the same result for most employment and educational opportunities. The process for earning each of them is different. Talk with a counselor or transition specialist to determine which of them is best for you. The first step is to contact the adult school you wish to attend. The steps may be slightly different at each school, but may include the following: - take a placement test - attend an orientation - meet with a counselor - enroll in classes All the adult schools are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

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Degrees and Certifications: BA-Elementary Education MS - Special Education A1 - Comparative Government - Weltzin/108 A2 - Prep A3 - US History - Budde/230 A4 - Experiencing Wisconsin - Yuskis/193 B1 - Prep B2 - Comparative Government - Budde/230 B3 - Life Skills - 214/219 B4 - Life Skills - 214/219 Beth Young Eagle Hi! My name is Beth Young Eagle and I am the department head of the Special Education Department at Pewaukee High School. I teach Life Skills and co-teach/support in American Government, Advanced Composition, Comparative Government, US History, and Experiencing Wisconsin.

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Does your child have a learning disability or an autism spectrum disorder? The Family Care Office and Accessibility Services will be hosting a panel and get together for students’, staff or faculty children (Grade 7 or higher) (if your child cannot attend, please feel free to still register)who have a learning disability or autism spectrum disorder to meet with current U of T students with a learning disability/ASD. If your child cannot attend, please feel free to still register. This will be an opportunity for your child to hear from current U of T students who can explain the impact of having an autism spectrum disorder or a learning disability on studying and succeeding at university. These students will discuss their transition to university, personal experiences and their coping strategies. There will also be an opportunity to ask these students questions and mix informally.

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Some Useful Work on Critical Thinking, Research, Writing and Assignments Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas the Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. Ed. Maryellen Weimer. 2nd ed.. ed. San Francisco; San Francisco, CA: San Francisco : Jossey-Bass, 2011. Beck, Sheila, and Devin McKay. "Critical Collaborations: An Information Literacy Across the Curriculum Project." (2011). Condon, William, and Diane Kelly-Riley. "Assessing and Teaching what we Value: The Relationship between College-Level Writing and Critical Thinking Abilities." Assessing Writing 9.1 (2004): 56-75. Dwyer, Christopher P. Critical Thinking : Conceptual Perspectives and Practical Guidelines. 2017. Dykstra, De Vee E. "Integrating Critical Thinking and Memorandum Writing into Course Curriculum using the Internet as a Research Tool." College Student Journal 42.3 (2008): 920-9. Edwards, S. L. "Education. Critical Thinking and Analysis: A Model for Written Assignments." British Journal of Nursing 7.3 (1998): 159-66. Gregerson, Mary Banks, James C. Kaufman, and Heather T. Snyder. Teaching Creatively and Teaching Creativity. New York, NY: New York, NY : Springer, 2013. Heron, Gavin. "Critical Thinking in Social Care and Social Work: Searching Student Assignments for the Evidence." Social Work Education 25.3 (2006): 209-24. Jani, Jayshree S., and Marcela Sarmiento Mellinger. "Beyond " Writing to Learn": Factors Influencing Students' Writing Outcomes." Journal of Social Work Education 51.1 (2015): 136-52. Kawaguchi, Linda. Designing Research Assignments to Encourage Critical Thinking and Creative Problem-Solving Skills. Vol. 19., 2011. Leonard, Anne E., and Ian Beilin. "Teaching the Skills to Question: A Credit-Course Approach to Critical Information Literacy." (2013). McDaniel, Kathryn N. "Read Long and Prosper: Five do's and Don'Ts for Preparing Students for College." Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas 87.2 (2014): 83-7. Piergiovanni, Polly R. "Creating a Critical Thinker." College Teaching 62.3 (2014): 86-93. Schmidt, S. J. "Using Writing to Develop Critical Thinking Skills." NACTA journal; Using writing to develop critical thinking skills 43.4 (1999): 31-8. Schwiebert, John E. "The Topic/Form Grid: Diverse Forms of Writing to Enrich Thinking." College Teaching 44.1 (1996): 8-12. Thaler, Valerie S. "Teaching Historical Research Skills to Generation Y: One Instructor's Approach." History Teacher 46.2 (2013): 267-81. Varelas, Antonios, Kate S. Wolfe, and Ernest Ialongo. "Building a Better Student Developing Critical Thinking and Writing in the Community College from Freshman Semester to Graduation." Community College Enterprise 21.2 (2015): 76-92.

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AIJU Research Centre is a private, non-profit association aiming to boost research, development and technological innovation in children’s products and leisure such as playgrounds, toys and childcare articles, and related industry and services, thus constantly increasing competitiveness and improving the quality of products and environments for children leisure. Located in the region known as Toy Valley in Alicante, AIJU is a centre of reference on children product safety for Spanish companies and public administrations. Founded in 1985, the number of associated companies currently achieves 450, most of them SMEs. AIJU, only European centre entirely specialised in children’s products and leisure and with more than 30 years of experience, has a team of around 80 technicians who cover different specialism such as child and product safety, knowledge of children as consumer, materials and processes, advanced manufacturing, environment, pedagogy/product, design and product development, innovation, management and training. The main area of AIJU’s work is the safety of children’s products. As part of this work playgrounds as spaces and structures which allow the free play are one of our expert team’s activities. Play England is the national organisation for children’s play in the UK. This organisation is a registered charity. Its work is funded by trust and foundation grants, central government funding and corporate and public sector. Play England works in five main areas: H.Menezes Risk Vision is a private company with an extensive network at both national and international level. Risk Vision delivers consultancy and training services for designers, architects, landscapers, managers of public space and other professionals in municipalities and schools and industry in the field of risk assessment concerning the impact of choices or decisions in collective life. It acknowledges the importance of built environments in social dynamics, a holistic approach to health and notes the evidence that measures at first adopted for the wellbeing of children are beneficial for physical and psychological safety of all generations and, in particular, for the most vulnerable people. Risk Vision’s mission is to promote the creation of healthier, safer and more inclusive environments for children, families and the most vulnerable people in all generations through: DA VSC HRAST is a non-profit organisation with a limited liability. Vukovar-Srijem County is the only founder and owner of the Agency. The Agency was founded and it operates with a purpose of economic development of the County. The Agency is approved and officially accredited Regional coordinator in charge of the Regional Development of the Republic of Croatia Act implementation in Vukovar-Srijem County. The Agency’s mission is the implementation of the County’s development strategy, improvement and coordination of existing development activities, and planning of development according to the Strategy of Development of the Republic of Croatia and EU demands. The Agency’s vision is “to be a dynamic and respectable institution which fosters development of Vukovar-Srijem County and provides users and regional environment variety of useful services, contents and programs”. The Agency has a team of specialised people who support developing processes and contribute to Vukovar-Srijem County improvement. Specialised and quality human resources are the backbone of a long term region progress, and for continuous encouragement to enhance knowledge and skills through specialized education. The University of Alicante (UA) was created in 1979. Today it educates and trains more than 36.000 students -2.500 of them are international students – and offers more than 80 undergraduate and 96 postgraduate programmes: consequently it is proportionally one of the fastest growing universities in Spain. The UA houses 227 research groups in Social and Legal Sciences, Experimental Sciences, Technological Sciences, Human Sciences, Education and Health Sciences and 15 Research Institutes. Thus, the UA employs over 2.400 researchers professors and has a complex management administration structure of 1.300 people. The software and computing systems department (DLSI) is one of the biggest departments at the UA, employing more than 60 full-time teachers, more than 30 support teachers and 6 staff members. The DLSI belongs to the Polytechnic school and is devoted to research and training on the following topics: software engineering, software development and multimedia systems including e-learning managements systems. The Department of Software and Computing Systems has carried out several research activities in the fields of software development, usability and accessibility of web sites and web applications, and e-learning over the last 15 years. The Faculty of Architecture provides education in the accredited bachelor, master and doctoral degree programme in Architecture and Urbanism and in Design. The Landscape & Architecture Studio is within the Department of Spatial Planning. Studio is a team of researchers and instructors with planning, architecture and landscape architecture from a variety of backgrounds. Common to all is the search for high quality of life, sustainable urban environments that harmonise human needs and ecological systems. Interdisciplinary studio at the Faculty of architecture, CTU in Prague is the main partner of Child Friendly City initiative (Město přátelské k dětem). In their mutual projects they link the City, University and local children with a goal of “building a child friendly environments”. After a successful partnership with Prague 3 city district they are now continuing in cooperation with other districts of the capital city. Child Friendly City project has the aim to link Prague with the international Child Friendly City network. Their projects are concentrating on mapping, evaluating as well as planning and designing urban public space with regards to children. We deal with city public space in general as well as with specific play areas, formal and informal. They work in close cooperation with children and they use varieties of methods to understand and implement their point of view. Individual professional experience of our team is in the field of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture. Is a starbust from a non-profit association, which was necessary due to legislation in Germany. ILLL concentrates different competences in international project work within a network of cooperation partners. ILLL is either project partner or coordinator for the projects. Moreover ILLL organises together with several conveyance centres regional informative meetings to distribute the possibilities of diverse support programs. Within K1-Projects ILLL serves as a receiving and delegating institution. Study visits for qualified employees from early childhood education and vocational education are a focus in our current work. There is an enormous demand by qualified employees for those visits. ILLL concentrates demands, develops correlating projects with transnational partners and performs these projects. Currently we develop qualification offers for general education and adult education. Additionally to own employees, ILLL works together with a wide network of external experts who are integrated in special fields of activities. The international working network comprises partners in Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Turkey, Austria, Italy, Greek and Sweden. One of the main activities of ILLL is to provide VET to students, immigrating employees, people working in kindergartens or municipalities, safety experts for playgrounds, etc. Also they give an overview about important rules concerning playground safety in Germany and provide the legal background of German Law, the German framework regarding play areas is a referent for other European countries.

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4 Child psychologists in applied settings Child psychology is not just about developing theories to explain development, it also has a practical reason. It is about working with children and young people to support their lives. Child psychologists often work in practical settings such as schools and hospitals, to help support development. Here we offer two examples of work in practical settings. Educational psychologists work with children who find it difficult to learn, understand or communicate with others or may have behavioural difficulties. Educational psychologists work in schools with teachers, families and school administrators to help children who are struggling with specific educational issues. Activity 2 What is the role of an educational psychologist? Click on the link to watch the following video and then answer the question below. At one point it uses the acronym SENCO, which stands for special educational needs coordinator. - If you are reading this course as an ebook, you can access this video here: - How does the video suggest that educational psychologists can support the lives of children and young people? Type your answer in the box, and then click ‘Save and reveal comment’ to compare it with our suggested answer. As the video suggests, educational psychologists work closely with a child’s parents or carers as well as those offering support in schools, such as the special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs), to help maximise the support that can be offered for children and young people in educational contexts. Educational psychologists must be aware of how changes in a child’s behaviour might indicate a more serious problem such as abuse or bullying, and are responsible for ensuring that appropriate action is taken. The psychologist can assess the child using standardised tests. A standardised test is one that is administered and scored in a consistent manner across all children. Using standardised scores, educational psychologists can assess how an individual child’s development is progressing compared to that of other children in their age group. Educational psychologists often use a range of measures to identify and diagnose specific learning difficulties and make suggestions for interventions in the classroom and school generally. Clinical psychologists study, assess and treat a wide range of biological, psychological and social problems that children and young people may experience in their personal lives. This might involve the assessment of individuals to find out what they are struggling with, interventions that support individuals to cope with that difficulty or prevention programmes that stop them suffering. Clinical psychologists also consult with other professionals to offer as holistic a support structure for individuals as possible. Similarly to educational psychologists, clinicians often use diagnostic tests to identify children who are experiencing mental health difficulties, who are at risk of having some kind of developmental disorder, such as autism or ADHD, or to assess the progress of children who have suffered physical or mental damage. By understanding how children of a certain age typically respond, clinical psychologists can identify symptoms of mental health difficulties, or developmental disorders with the goal of securing children appropriate support as early as possible.

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« PreviousContinue » hundred people and both were en- learn the circumstances under thusiastically received. Teachers which the poem, or book was writand school patrons from all parts of ten. 3. To reproduce in some way the county were present. (better by writing) what is read. - The first quarterly session of There were thirty-five teachthe Athens County Teachers' Insti- ers from St. Marys and vicinity in tute was held at Glouster November attendance at the N. W. O. Teach27. Fully three times as many ers' Association held at Lima, O., teachers were present as on any November 26 and 27. All report a similar occasion last year, and all good time at the meeting. seemed enthusiastic in their work. The next annual session of the Most of the day was devoted to Auglaize County Teachers' Associthe "how" of teaching, which re- ation will be held at Wapakoneta, sulted in many valuable sugges- O., the week beginning August 15, tions. 1898. The Executive Committee Educational matters in Athens have secured Supt. S. T. Dial of County are on the advance, and Lockland, O., and Byron W. King with superintendency for our com of Pittsburg, Pa., Prof. in the mon schools, as a start, we shall Schools of Oratory in that city. be well on the road to success. Supt. Dial's efficient work in our One of the best quarterly ses last institute merited the praise of sions of the Lawrence County every teacher; and his return will Teachers' Association was held at be hailed with a hearty welcome by Burlington, Saturday, December 4. the teachers of Auglaize County. The principal discussions were on Prof. King comes well recommendGrammar as given by T. Howard ed as an instructor in institutes. It Winters of Ironton, and Literature is the earnest desire of the Commitby C. A. Woodworth of Hanging tee and also of the Board of County Rock. The former led to the dis Examiners that every teacher in the cussion of Reading. The prevail- County be present at our next Aning sentiment was to inculcate the nual Institute and help make it the habit of reading substantial, solid, best ever held in the County. lifegiving literature and to discour- The Clermont County Teachage in every possible way the read- ers' Association held its second sesing of low grade novels. sion of the year at Williamsburg The main ideas set forth in Liter- December 11. Pres. W. O. Robinature were: 1. To begin literature son presided. At the forenoon seswith the study and reading of liv- sion a paper, “Teaching in Coming American authors. 2. To mon Schools”, was read by M. E. Applegate of Goshen, and discussed Finley. In the afternoon, "The by Supt's. Cronin, Turnipseed and Present System of Examinations in others. Ohio" was discussed by C. C. White A solo, "Unanswered", was beau- and C. W. Newberry. Then foltifully rendered by Supt. Chatterton lowed an address on the 0. T. R. C. of Batavia. by Fred Sillery who showed in an A paper, "The Lazy Teacher”, by interesting, practical way, the great Geo. P. Hibbets of Nicholsville, benefit to be derived from a study was well written and well received. of the Course. Miss Coral Clark In the afternoon the Ladies' read a paper reviewing “Macbeth,” Quartet of Williamsburg rendered H. M. Finley discussed “Patriota most pleasing “Lullaby.” This ism in Our Schools,” a number of was followed by a paper, “Neces those present discussed "Literasity of Preparation", by T. P. Pierce ture in the Schools," Viss Stearof Bethel. man told of “Penmanship YesterThe Association was then highly day and To-day,” and C. W. Nayentertained and instructed by the lor talked on “Township Supervis ion." address of Supt. John Burke of Newport, Ky., on "The Pilgrims -Principal H. M. Linn of the and Puritans." Sandusky High School read a very Supt. Chatterton by request again interesting and sugestive paper on favored the audience with music. “The Place of American History in The session was a most pleasant and Our Schools" at the meeting of the profitable one. Adjourned to meet Franklin County Teachers' Associin Batavia. ation held in Columbus, December 18. - The many friends of John C. Ridge will be delighted to learn that -The Berea schools enroll 487 he is rapidly recovering from his pupils. For the past four months . severe illness. He was able to the percent of attenance has averspend some time in Columbus, holi- aged 97. day week, and was the recipient of - Supt. A. H. Dixon of Marsha beautiful gold headed cane pre field has taken up the work of sented by a number of life-long "Township Educational Rallies" in friends. Athens county and held a very en-The Morgan County teachers thusiastic meeting at Pleasanton held an Association at Stockport, the evening of December 21. December 11. At the forenoon School board, citizens and teachers session “Arithmetic in Our County took an active part in the discusSchools” was discussed by a large sion, many of whom expressed number of teachers led by H. M. themselves as having heard, for the first time, the subject so plainly put. which is composed of upwards of Supt. Dixon was at his best, and his thirty branch associations of kinremarks elicited much applause. dergartners organized in as many The next rally will be held at Al- cities of the United States. bany some time in January. The National Kindergarten Un--The following preliminary ion was organized in 1892 at Sar atoga, at a meeting of the National programme is announced for the third annual meeting of the Kin Educational Association. In 1895 a .preliminary meeting was held in dergarten Union, which is to be held Boston, and in 1896 the first Conat the Philadelphia Normal School, vention was held in New York. Thirteenth and Spring Garden The Second Convention was held streets, on February 18 and 19, last April in St. Louis. 1998: February 18-Forenoon, busi- -H. Z. Hobson is succeeding ness meeting; afternoon, addresses admirably in his new position as of welcome; topic for discussion, superintendent of the Salineville "The Training of the Kinder- schools. His corps of teachers . garten,” Mrs. Alice Putnam, of numbers twelve, and the enrollment Chicago, and Miss Laura Fisher, of of pupils is nearly seven hundred. . Boston; evening, public meeting, addresses by Dr. Lyman Abbott, of BOOKS AND MAGAZINES. Brooklyn, topic to be announced, American Book Co., Cincinnati, and Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler 0.: on "Infancy and Education." Stories of Ohio. By William February 19-Forenoon, confer- Dean Howells. These Stories are ence; afternoon, reception to dele- told in Howells's inimitable style, gates; evening, addresses by Miss and are entertaining, interesting, Susan Blow, James L. Hughes, and instructive. They should be Superintendent of Schools, Tor- read by the boys and girls of our onto, and Dr. Lightner Witmer, of public schools both for their literUniversity of Pennsylvania. on ary value and also for the State "The Kindergarten as a Psycho- pride which they will certainly delogical Laboratory.” velop. It is anticipated that between 200 and 300 kindergartners will be in at Ginn & Co., Chicago, II. : tendance. The Philadelphia Branch Burke's Speech on Conciliation of the union is already making with America. Edited with Notes preparations for the reception and and Introduction by Hammond entertainment of the delegates. Lamont, Associate Professor of Miss Lucy Wheelock, of Boston, Rhetoric in Brown University. Mass., is President of the union, Price 60c. Classics for Children: Undine. recent New York Election, entitled, A Tale by Frederick Baron De La "The Political Regeneration of New Motle Fouque. Translated into Eng. York." lish by Abby L. Alger. Price 30c. Among the many interesting things found in Harper's Magazine d. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, for January are “Roden's Corner” III. - A Novel -- by Henry Seton MerThoughts and Theories of Life riman; “A Group of Players" by and Education. By J. L. Spalding, Laurence Hutton, and “The New Bishop of Peoria. Price $1.00. North-west” by J. A. Wheelock. Scott, Foresman & Co., Chica Gainsborough's Portrait of Gen eral James Wolfe, Engraved by A Parliamentary Syllabus. By Richard A. Muller, furnishes the Joseph T. Robert, Principal, The Frontispiece for the January Сen “ Robert School of Parliamentary tury. The first number of The Law, Chicago. Contains twenty Adventures of Francois" by S. Weir four progressive Lessons. Mitchell appears, and Martha Lit tlefield Phillips gives a very interStorics of Greek Gods, Heroes esting account of the “Recollectand Men. By Caroline H. Harding ions of Washington and His Friends and Samuel B. Harding. as preserved in the family of NaGetting on in the World, or On thaniel Greene." Hints on Success in Life. By William Mathews, LL. D. The January St. Nicholas is full if interest for both young and old. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York: Among the many valuable articles The American College in Ameri- are the following: "A Bird's Storecan Life By Charles Franklin house," "Reasoning out a MetropThwing, D.D., LL. D. olis," "Johny and the Giant," and “Christmas Eve at Mother Hub bard's." The January Atlantic contains contributions from J. Firmin Coar, "Our Coast Defences" by Maj.. Edwin L. Godkin, Col. T. W. Hig. Gen. Nelson A. Miles, "The Future ginson, John Muir, Gilbert Parker, of Bimetallism" by Senator George Edward M. Shepard, Eugene Wam- G. Vest, and “The Political Outbaugh, and others. The paper which look" by Henry Watterson are will attract universal attention is among the many interesting artithat by Edward M. Shepard on the cles in the January Forum. İrish's “American and British its Opportunities," by Governor Authors" is very popular both as a John R. Rogers, of Washington, a text-book for High Schools and fearless man of the people. The Colleges, also for use in reading second article, “Our Interstate Procircles, literary clubs, etc. It has tective Tariffs," by James J. Wait, recently been adopted for use in is an able exposition of the evils of the High Schools of Bucyrus, Bel- discriminating freight charges by laire, Galion, DeGraff, Pataskala, the railways of the United States. and many other places in Ohio. "Our Friends the Enemy" is a contribution of great interest and The Educational Review opens its value, by John D. Spence, of Tofifteenth volume and eighth year ronto, on the relations, social and political, which ought to exist bewith the January number, which tween the Canadians and the peoincludes a striking paper in which ple of the United States. “MuniSome Socialist and Anarchist cipal Proprietorship” is ably disViews of Education are contribu cussed in the affirmative by Auted by Messrs. C. H. Matchett, gustus L. Mason, ex-president of Benjamin R. Tucker, Lucien San the Indianapolis Street Railroad ial and Miss Gertrude B. Kelly; Company. Mr. B. O. Flower's inand papers on School Building in New York City by C. B. J. Snyder, “James G. Clark, the American teresting and eloquent article is on illustrated; Education in Hawaii by Laureate of Labor." Helen CampF. B. Dressler; etc. Other articles bell, in a strong article on "Amerto appear early in 1898 are The ican Domesticity," points out the Public School Community Life by reasons of the apparent decay of Jas. K. Paulding; The Future of the domestic life, but draws a hopethe Public School by E. J. James; ful conclusion as to the future. In Civil Service Reform and the the "Tributes to Henry George' Teaching Profession by C. W. four American poetslay their Bardeen; Economy of High Wages wreaths on the tomb of the man for Teachers by John Davidson; who saw and prophesied. The Religious Instruction in American fiction of the number is a striking Schools by Levi Seeley; Public and amusing apologue by Charwin Education vs. State Education by Lesbald, entitled “The Smelting of Andrew S. Draper; American the Hon. Jerry Webb.” “MistleGraduate Schools by A. H. Ed toe" is the subject of a beautiful gren; The Educational System of nature sketch by Rev. Robert California by E. E. Cates, etc., etc. Blight. In “The Higher Civiliza tion versus Vivisection," Rosa G. The frontispiece of the January Abbott presents a humane and panumber of the Arena is a portrait thetic appeal against the unwarof Henry George, the prophet of ranted abuse of animals and the the American Republic. The first dissection of them alive in particuarticle is Part II of “Freedom and lar.

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Explore ePyramid Online Learning The Pyramid Model Consortium exists to promote the dissemination, sustainability, scale-up and high fidelity use of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children. The Services We Provide About Pyramid Model Consortium The Pyramid Model is a positive behavioral intervention and support (PBIS) framework that uses systems-thinking and implementation science to promote evidence-based practices. We created The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children to help early educators build skills for supporting nurturing and responsive caregiving, create learning environments, provide targeted social-emotional skills, and support children with challenging behavior. Finally, we provide local, national, and global early childhood programs with comprehensive training, proven methods, and free resources. Contact Pyramid Model Consortium to learn more about our services or to find out how you can support social-emotional development in infants and young children.

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Speech is inanimate. It is a record. Is the tape not previously recorded when the tape-recorder plays? In the same way, the tape of this speech has already been recorded. When the circumstances are right, it will begin to play just as a record begins to play the moment the stylus touches it. You may have decided over and over to not say anything to your husband or your mother-in-law, but despite that you still end up saying something anyway? What made you say something although it was not your wish? Did your husband want to be yelled at? Then who or what makes you speak? It is a record that is playing and once the recording has already taken place, no one, absolutely no one, can change or alter it. You may often decide to stand up to someone and speak up, but when you approach that person or find others around him, you do not say a word, but just turn away. Something holds you back from uttering a single word. Does that not happen? Now if speech were in your control, it would come out exactly as you would wish, but does that ever happen? This science is so beautiful that it does not bind you in any way and it brings about a quick resolution. If you keep this science in your awareness and remember what Dada tells you about people's speech being prerecorded, then no matter what anyone says to you, even if your superiors are reprimanding you, it will not affect you. This should become firmly engraved within you. You should realize that when a person talks too much, it is simply a record that is playing. If you keep this in mind, then you will not fall. Otherwise what happens when you become emotional? 'Speech is a record': A major key in solving your Gnan related problems. It is indeed, a record. So is there a problem in viewing speech this way from now on? These days instead of going around hitting others with clubs and sticks, people use the weapon of speech. Bombs are composed of words. Would they have problems if they conquered their speech? Speech is a record, which is why I have exposed its true nature to the world. My intention is to belittle speech and make it worthless in your eyes so that is why I tell you that it is a record. It does not matter to me what a person says, or how he says it. It has no value. I know that he does not have the capacity to say anything. He is simply a spinning top. And this here is the record talking. He is only a top and he is worth pitying. No one in this world can imitate that which is still (acchad - the Pure Soul, Self). That which can be imitated is all unsteady (chanchad, the non-Self). The whole world's worship is of that which is unsteady (unstill) - the relative. That is why this speech can be imitated (reproduced) through the 'tape record'. Speech is chanchad (unstill). It can never have the attributes of the Soul - The Still. 1) There are so many recording devices and transmitters today that people are beginning to fear them. They are afraid of being secretly taped. Now these devices just record the spoken words. The human mind-body complex on the other hand is capable of recording the account of new karma, effective in the next life. People are not even afraid of this! Even if you call a person worthless while he is sleeping, your remark will be recorded within that person and you will have to face the consequences. So you must not utter a word about anyone while he is sleeping, because everything will be recorded; such is this machinery. If you want to say something, make sure it is positive. Your good intentions (bhaavs) will result in happiness for you. But never say anything negative about anyone, even when alone, because the consequences will be very bitter. Everything gets recorded, so make sure you only record the good things. 2) The whole world is flawless. I see its flawlessness, and that is why I tell you about it. Why is the world flawless? Is the Pure Soul not flawless? So who appears to be at fault? It is the body complex (pudgal) that appears to be at fault. But this body complex, throughout its existence, is an effect of past karma. What can you do when it is the unfolding the effects of past karma that dictate the kind of speech that comes out? 3) The laws of karma are such that if you scold your servant, your child or your wife for an hour, in your next life they will return as your husband or your mother-in-law and do the same to you. Surely we need justice? You will have to suffer the same thing. If you hurt anyone, you will have suffering throughout your life. Even if you hurt someone for just an hour, you will have to experience a lifetime worth of suffering. You will then complain about your wife ill-treating you. Even your wife will ask herself why she mistreats you. She too suffers, but what can anyone do? 4) The power of speech arises when one does not use a single word to make fun of others, does not use it for his own selfish gain, does not misuse his speech, and does not use it to increase his prestige. Book Name: Science of Speech (Page #28 Paragraph #4, #5; Page #29 Paragraph #1 to #4) A. When you pluck a string on a sitar, how many different sounds does it produce? Questioner:... Read More A. When we talk about the besmearing properties (lepaimaan bhaavo) of the mind, speech and body, what... Read More A. You think that no one hears you scold your wife at home! Married couples quarrel with each other... Read More A. Whatever comes your way is a result of your own doing. Settle all your past accounts and do not... Read More A. Questioner: Why do people lie without reason? Dadashri: They do it because of their anger, pride,... Read More A. Questioner: Will I not bind karma if I lie? Dadashri: Yes definitely! More than the actual lie,... Read More A. Questioner: Is flattery considered truth? Does flattery mean to endorse something... Read More A. Questioner: When does one attain efficacy and power of speech (vachanbud)? Dadashri: The power of... Read More A. Questioner: How can the understanding acquired in this life help improve our speech? Please explain... Read More

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WHAT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES DO STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN? Students are encouraged and required to take part in individual and group activities that will expose them to new experiences and offer opportunities to develop leadership and networking skills. These experiences not only provide students a way to get to know each other outside of the classroom, they also offer students unique ways of connecting with mentors and community leaders. Special Activities- The Puente Program and Puente Club coordinates special activities each semester to welcome mentors, new students and their families into what we consider a family environment. Throughout the semester fundraisers, workshops and networking events are provided to help students learn about resources and keep connected. At the end of the semester, a "recognition dinner" is held to offeradministrators, family members and friends of the program an opportunity to honor both students and mentors for their participation in the program. College Tours -Each semester the Puente Program coordinates a trip to visit various California State and University of California campuses. During these trips, students have a chance to truly feel the atmosphere of that Universities campus. Every campus has a different feel, for students planning to go to these institutions it is definitely beneficial to personally visit and take to heart whether they truly like the university.These trips provide campus tours with fellow peers, which not only deepens bonds while having fun, but also creates a personal connection between the student and the school. Pu ente Student Motivational Conference ente Student Motivational Conference-In the fall semester students attend a motivational conference at a University of California campus. Students from all the statewide community college Puente Programs are invited to take part in a full day of activities which includes a question and answer session with a panel of UC Admissions Representatives, informative workshops and guest speakers from various industries including television, film and the literary world. Cultural Events -Students are invited to take an active role in identifying and/or planning cultural activities that are of interest to them. The Puente Club officers will take the lead in facilitating these activities and all Puente students are encouraged to participate. For more information, please contact: Richard Alvarez, Puente Program Coordinator/Counselor Counseling & Administration: Building #23 Nathan Franklin, Puente Program Coordinator/English Instructor Building #21, Room 131 Phone: (760) 245-4271, extension 2220, Email:[email protected]

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A new regional service to deliver improved access to sign language interpreting for people who are Deaf has moved a step closer to implementation. The Regional Face to Face Sign Language Interpreting Service will provide interpreting services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for British Sign Language (BSL) and Irish Sign Language (ISL) users accessing health and social care. Approximately 8,000 people use sign language in Northern Ireland. The initiative will create a standardised service across Northern Ireland for those who need sign language interpreters to support their communication with health and social care staff. It is part of the Regional Communication Support Services Programme, which sees the Health and Social Care Board working with the Business Services Organisation and other partners to redesign and improve existing communication service provision for people who are Deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. The programme aims to deliver a high quality, safe and timely service that is sustainable and consistent across Northern Ireland. It was set up following an RQIA review and subsequent public consultation in 2016, which identified the need for a regional approach. At present, interpreting services for GP, hospital and community appointments are accessed and provided differently in each Health and Social Care Trust area. Subsequently people’s experience of the service differs regionally in, for example, the availability of the service, how interpreters are booked, the quality of service provided and the distances interpreters can travel. The new regional service will be delivered by the Business Services Organisation who will recruit and employ a number of sign language interpreters directly to provide a service 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. The core service will run from Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. There will also be an on-call system for out of hours or emergencies. A recruitment process has started to appoint interpreters to work in the new service, which will be developed on an incremental basis over the coming 12 months. A Regional Advisory Group will be established in early 2021 to bring together key stakeholders, including Service Users and relevant community/voluntary sector partners, to monitor the service’s implementation. Marie Roulston, Director of Social Care and Children, Health and Social Care Board, explained: “Despite the ongoing and considerable challenges facing our health and social care services, we are committed to delivering this important programme of change, to provide equal access to all HSC services for people who are Deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. “This new service will support effective communication between Deaf service users and Health and Social Care staff by providing a high quality, regionally consistent service, which will improve the responsiveness and safety of interpreting, lead to greater accountability and provide value for money. BSO’s Interim Chief Executive Karen Bailey said: “BSO is proud to be involved in developing and delivering this ground-breaking regional service: for the first time in Northern Ireland, a public service will employ, support, and develop sign language interpreters directly, recognising and valuing their professional skills and the vital role that they play in supporting effective communication with Service Users. “This is a much needed service, and will allow the Deaf community and sign language users to access health and social care on the same basis as hearing people.” Liz Duncan, Chair of the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf people (NRCPD), welcomed the work being undertaken to deliver the new service: “The 2016 review made important recommendations for change and improvement, and NRCPD is pleased that the HSCB and BSO are working to deliver those improvements. The recruitment of NRCPD registered sign language interpreters is an important step forward, creating an opportunity to put quality, accessibility, and accountability at the heart of the new Face to face Sign Language Interpreting Service. “As a member of the original RQIA review panel I am particularly pleased that this new service will support high quality, flexible and accountable provision for people who are Deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing.”

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As someone who deals daily with questions and concerns about testing homeschoolers, I have encountered a number of misconceptions and some erroneous information concerning testing of homeschoolers. I hope that this article will clear up some of these misunderstandings for the homeschool teacher! First of all, it is the parent’s responsibility to follow the law in their state. Just because a testing company offers a particular test does not mean that it will qualify for meeting the requirements of our NC homeschooling law. One big misconception is that survey tests are acceptable in NC, but most survey tests do not test spelling and grammar, which are two areas required in NC. Most of the Survey Plus tests have added these subject areas, but it is your responsibility to check. The Woodcock-Johnson III and IV tests are both survey tests. These tests are administered professionally, but the information you receive, especially in math, is very limited because they are survey tests. For example, with the Math Calculation subtest, there are only two to three problems per grade level. A survey test gives you a sampling of the areas tested, and you have to be careful in using the results of a survey test for curriculum decisions. Math, especially, has too many building blocks, and you are not testing many of those skills. If your desire is to use your scores to plan your instructional program, more information is obtained from using a complete battery test. With any of these tests, the science and social studies tests are optional in NC. As the teacher, you make the decision about what grade level testing you want to use with your student. It is important to keep in mind that if you chose to re-enter a public or private school, your grade level recommendation does not have to be accepted by the school. The principal will make that decision, and they often will do their own testing for placement. Generally, public educators are not very trusting when parents are allowed to do their own testing, as is allowed in NC. It has been reported, erroneously, that some tests are aligned to the Common Core Curriculum. The Iowa tests, Form C, which have been recently released for homeschool use are one example. Form C of the Iowa Test is a parallel form to Form A, which has a number of outdated questions that are irrelevant to students in today’s world. (The most famous question from Form A that has frustrated parents is the question about the card catalog.) Both Form A and Form C use the exact same norms of 2005. In order to use the same norms, Form C has to have the exact same subtests, the same number of questions and the question types cannot be changed. Since the Common Core Curriculum was written in 2010, it is impossible for the publishers to develop a test aligned to the Common Core and use the older 2005 norms. The California Achievement Test publishers have done the same thing with their TerraNova-First Edition and the TerraNova-Second Edition (also known as the CAT/6). Both of these tests also use their norms from 2005. The second edition is only an update of some question content and pictures, to make it more relevant to students today. It would be impossible for the TerraNova/CAT 6 to be aligned to the Common Core since it uses norms from 2005. The CAT/5 is still allowed in NC, though many states will not accept tests that were not normed in the last ten years. I used this test when I was a teacher in the 70s, when this test first came out. There was a kindergarten test, but kindergarten was not part of the public school system in many states. It is important to keep this in mind because the first grade test from the CAT/5 is more similar to the kindergarten tests that are used today. How many public school parents have you heard say kindergarten is what first grade used to be when they were in school? Curriculum has definitely changed over the last forty years since this test was published. There is a much greater emphasis on the higher order thinking skills in the later curriculum guidelines because of the emphasis of preparing our students for the technological world they will be working and living in. This test meets state guidelines in NC, but the information you receive will be limited because of the age of this test. This test was renormed in 1991, so if you have a high schooler taking this test, that student is compared to students who are forty years old or older now. The ACT college entrance exam/achievement test does count in NC for homeschool guidelines. The SAT college entrance exam is a cognitive abilities test, used to predict student success in college, so it does not count as an achievement test unless you take the subject area tests that meet NC guidelines. When looking at your score report, keep in mind that none of these tests are pass/fail. This decision needs to be made by the teacher using information from the total school year. The purpose of these tests is to meet state requirements and/or to give you information about your child’s strengths and weaknesses so that you can gear your instruction to the meet the needs of your student. The most helpful score for you is the national percentile ranking of your student in each subject area. If your student scored at the eightieth percentile, then that tells you that your student scored as well as or better than 80% of the students who took the same test in the year that particular test was normed. When comparing your scores year-to-year, a year’s growth would be indicated with approximately the same percentile score. GE (Grade Equivalent) is the most confusing and misunderstood score on the report and has limited meaning. Keep in mind that your student is only being compared with other same grade students in the same grade normed sample. The students are not being compared to other grade level students. If your student is in third grade and scores a GE of 6.8 in math, it only means that your student scored as well as a student in the eighth month of sixth grade would score on that same third grade test. There are no sixth grade math skills on a third grade test, so your student is not being evaluated on skills other than the skills of a third grader. Some grade level material is included that is slightly above and below the level of the test. What makes a test standardized is that the directions are exactly the same for all students taking the test. Time limits must be followed or your results will not be valid. If your child has a diagnosis of a specific learning challenge, then you may make modifications to the testing administration. A note should be made as to what modifications are made, and this should be included on the child’s score report. One modification that is never allowed is reading a reading test to a student. This would make the test a listening test, so the child has to do the best he can with the reading. Extended time is an allowed modification for a child who has a diagnosis. You are allowed to choose a lower grade level test that is more appropriate to the level of your student. Your scores compare your student to students who took the test with the time constraints, so this must be considered if modifications need to be made. If time restrictions are not followed with students that do not have a diagnosis, then your testing is not standardized and your results are invalid. The last misconception on my list is that we don’t need to worry about being comfortable with our homeschooling law in NC. As someone who deals with testing across the United States, I am seeing considerable tightening of homeschooling laws in many states. It takes only one legislator in NC to get the ball rolling towards tightening our present homeschooling law. We need to continue to be involved advocates for our homeschooling rights in NC. We must not allow ourselves to become too comfortable, or we may lose some of the benefits of our present homeschooling situation in NC.

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The European Association of Distance Teaching Universities: Europe's leading institutional association in online, open and flexible higher education. The Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education – aims to strengthen the quality of Norwegian education. The FernUniversität in Hagen is Germany’s only state distance-learning university, and its largest in terms of student numbers. KU Leuven is an institution for research and education with international appeal. All programmes at this University are based on the innovative research of its scientists and professors. The National Distance Education University (UNED) has as its mission the public service of higher education through the modality of distance education. The UOC is an innovative university that is rooted in Catalonia and open to the world. It offers people lifelong learning to help them and society advance, while carrying out research into the knowledge society. Fédération Interuniversitaire de l'Enseignement à Distance is a network of French universities that promotes the development of lifelong learning and cooperation between higher education establishments in all areas and all forms of distance education. Delft University of Technology primary tasks are academic research and teaching, and knowledge transfer (valorisation). TU Delft is known for their high quality research. The University of Jyväskylä is an internationally renowned research university. They are one of the largest and most popular multidisciplinary universities in Finland. The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is dedicated to teaching, research and dialogue with society. With more than 17’000 students of some 150 different nationalities, it is Switzerland’s second largest university. Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange is part of the Erasmus+ programme, providing an accessible, ground-breaking way for young people to engage in intercultural learning. Open Virtual Mobility is a European strategic partnership dedicated to creating accessible opportunities for achievement of virtual mobility skills to ensure higher uptake of virtual mobility in higher education in Europe.

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When I realized that Autism Speaks slogan was “It’s time to listen”, my heart sank. I honestly felt like I broke in to a thousand little pieces that no one could pick up. It was the feeling of grief. The more I research, the more I realize how much Autistic voices matter. The CEO of Autism Speaks is someone who has experience managing different health related foundations. Her name is Angela Geiger. As far as I can tell – She is NOT Autistic. Autism Speaks Canada is headed up by Jill Farber and she has spent 15 years as a private consultant specializing in ABA. She is NOT Autistic. It’s important for the verbal portion of the Autism community to speak up for not only us but for our nonverbal brothers and sisters. After all, we know best. This is who we are in every aspect of our being. Wouldn’t it be nice for Autism Meetup groups and self-advocacy networks to have funding and get provided devices and tools to make life easier? Frustratingly enough, most companies need a “front” to do so. By that I mean a “charitable” organization with whom to “partner” with so it looks like they’re doing a DAMN amazing thing to benefit those who need it most. Why can’t they do it without the publicity or without a partnership? Money- simply put! Advertising is key. Looking good to those who are uneducated on the subject increases profit margins and a veil of “doing good”. Let’s PUT #AutisticVoicesFirst

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1. Learn to speak without moving your lips. Hold a finger over your mouth as if trying to tell someone to be quiet. This will help prevent your lips from moving. Gritting your teeth together may help. 2. Change your voice. A convincing “vent” voice must be very different from yours. Choose your “vent” voice carefully depending on what type of partner you want. If he or she is smart and witty, have him or her speak quickly, without stuttering. If he or she is unintelligent or slow, have him or her speak in a low, slow voice. The voice you choose helps to amplify your partner’s personality and helps bring him or her to life. 3. Bring your new friend to life. Decide what kind of partner you want. You must always make sure that his or her personality is different from your own, to give the illusion that you are not the same person. 4. Try to find a dummy that will fit that character. For example, if your imagined character is a young, energetic boy, don’t pick a dummy that’s an old man or a young lady. Make sure to pick the right partner for your needs. 5. Convince yourself that your partner is completely alive. Once you’ve done this, it will be easier to convince an audience. Try to make sure that, from the moment you pick him or her up (take him or her out of his case, bed, etc.) and grab the controls, he or she is totally alive. Have him or her tell you stories about what he or she has been up to, where he or she goes to school, etc. Even though you are technically making this up, it will help you believe. 6. Animate your partner properly. There are many different control schemes for dummies, but a good, average one that is excellent for beginners and even for advanced vents is one with a moving head. Be careful while purchasing your dummy that you don’t buy one with a string on the neck to operate the mouth. Buy one where you put your hand in the back, grab a stick attached to the head, and push a trigger to move the mouth. Try to observe real people as they speak, and have your partner mimic those movements. 7. Have fun with it. A big factor in being a good ventriloquist is having passion. You must always practice the art. Practicing every day will eventually make you a fantastic ventriloquist. You also don’t have to practice only by sitting and speaking with your partner. Play games with your partner, watch TV with him or her, bring him or her to family get-togethers and have others meet him or her. Whether you are taking up ventriloquism for fun or for a career, make sure you are having fun with it. The illusion of life doesn’t come easily, but you just have to believe in your friend to make him or her come alive. Note: this is drawn from Wikihow’s “How to Be a Good Ventriloquist in Seven Steps”. In Week 5 of my residency, I’ll adapt this into a “How to Be a Good Ventriloquist in Poetry”.

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Mentors for Berks Youth was started in 1987 by a group of engineers and educators who saw the potential for helping high school students, particularly those who find themselves disadvantaged in some way. M4BY is a grass-roots organization designed to help students finish high school and enter post secondary education. Ideally, students will return to employment in the greater Reading area where they can become contributing members of their communities. Our organization facilitates one-to-one mentoring relationships between students in Berks County school districts (primarily the Reading School District), and dedicated members of our community. (Founders were Thomas McMahon, Richard Kratz, Nancy Omaha Boy, Sandra Sorrels) Currently, we do not have a place to call "Home". In previous years, we enjoyed a small office on Lancaster Avenue due to a generous donation of space from Security First, Inc. They graciously continue to allow us some storage space there as well. If you would like to meet with us then please call or email our Executive director, Christine Sinclair to arrange a visit. [email protected] 484-273-2081 Please call our Executive Director, Chris Sinclair or fill out our contact form. Mentors For Berks Youth P.O. Box 791 Shillington, PA 19607 Details for this year's bus trip now available on the News & Event page. Purchase tickets to select Santander Arena and Santander Performing Arts Center Events and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to M4BY. https://form.jotform.com/ Connect with us on Facebook & Twitter to learn about upcoming projects and volunteer opportunities. Contact our web administrator here.

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The proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has risen to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid-19. Hundreds of thousands of students have been given grades determined by teachers, rather than exams, with pupils only assessed on what they have been taught during the pandemic. Girls performed better than boys at the top grades, and female maths students overtook boys for the first time in the number of A* grades achieved, figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show. In total, more than two in five (44.8%) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer – up by 6.3 percentage points on last year when 38.5% achieved the top grades. Overall, the proportion of entries awarded the top A* grade this year has surged to 19.1% – the highest proportion since the top grade was first introduced in 2010. The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), cover A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish Highers results are also being released on Tuesday. This year, teachers in England submitted their decisions on pupils’ grades after drawing on a range of evidence, including mock exams, coursework and in-class assessments using questions by exam boards. According to an analysis by Ofqual, some 6.9% of students in England were awarded three A*s this year – compared with 4.3% in 2020 and 1.6% in 2019. Last summer, the fiasco around grading led to thousands of A-level students having their results downgraded from school estimates by a controversial algorithm before Ofqual announced a U-turn. This year, no algorithm was used to moderate grades. Instead, schools and colleges in England were asked to provide samples of student work to exam boards, as well as evidence used to determine the grades for the students selected, as part of quality assurance (QA) checks. Random and targeted sample checks of evidence were also carried out after grades were submitted. Ofqual said that student work from 1,101 centres in England – around one in five schools and colleges – was scrutinised by exam boards. For 85% of the schools and colleges whose students’ work was scrutinised as part of QA checks, the regulator said the subject experts were satisfied that the evidence supported the teacher-assessed grades that were submitted. It said the remainder were subject to further scrutiny, including conversations between subject experts and staff from the school or college. Following this, “in most cases” the exam boards were satisfied with the original grades or with the revised grades which they submitted. But Ofqual said that, at the time of writing its report, exam boards were in continuing discussions with “a small number of centres” and grades would be withheld for these schools should concerns remain unresolved on results day. Dr Philip Wright, director-general of JCQ, said: “On behalf of JCQ and the exam boards, I would like to congratulate all students receiving their results today. “The impact of Covid has undoubtedly provided a difficult chapter in their education journey and their resilience is to be applauded. We wish them all the best as they take their next steps in life. “We would also like to express our sincere thanks to teachers, exams officers, heads of centre and colleagues, who have all worked exceptionally hard to determine grades this summer. “Teachers used their professional judgment and submitted the grades and evidence in good time for us to check and award grades today. Their efforts will allow students to swiftly progress on to the next stages of their education, training or employment.” Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “It is important to understand that the system used to assess students this year is different from both formal exams and the approach that was used last year too, when an attempt to use an algorithm to standardise grades nationally went wrong and had to be abandoned. “It is therefore invidious to make direct comparisons with other years and vital that we celebrate the achievements of this year’s cohort who have had to endure so much over the past 18 months.” He added: “The majority of university applicants will now go on to their preferred university, and those who have missed grades and go through the clearing process will receive support from universities, schools and colleges to find a course which fulfils their aspirations. “It will be important that universities provide educational and pastoral support to their new undergraduates given the extreme disruption they have faced during the course of the pandemic, and we are sure this is fully understood already.” For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.

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(This is a guest post by Dana Kaplan. Dana has her MA in Early Childhood Education with an additional certification in Gifted Education. Dana joined PS 33, Chelsea Prep for the 2006-2007 school year. During Dana’s tenure at PS 33, she taught Pre-K for two years, launched the ICT-Kindergarten class, and independently created, piloted, and launched PS 33’s Gifted and Talented Program. Dana recently launched her personal business, Developing Empathetic Education with Dana (D.E.E.D.), where she consults with schools and parents on the critical needs for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as well as gifted and talented and “all things school related.”) As a veteran teacher who’s had the privilege of working with a myriad of learners across all ages, spectrums, and demographics, I am offering (and highly encouraging!) EVERY parent, guardian, and family FULL PERMISSION to SCREAM and STOMP! You didn’t sign up for homeschooling and now, it’s truly encompassing your entire life! Oh, and don’t forget about simultaneously maintaining your full-time job, cooking/grocery shopping, keeping your home zen, social distancing while coordinating facetime playdates and…and…and! Second permission to SCREAM and STOMP! Now, it’s time to breathe, deep into your belly and slowly release! MY job is to bring you calm and support! Over the past and current days, weeks, and months yours, mine, and everyone’s life will be flowing with opportunities to employee flexibility. Flexibility ultimately occurs when we release control of the uncontrollables! Below are a few tips to unlock doors that seemed jammed, unknown, or forgotten. 1. Always AND forever, YOU ARE YOUR CHILD’S PARENT! Your sole job is to unconditionally love, encourage, laugh, grow, and accept your child. Forget the books, the endless emails from teachers, the countless guilt for not knowing or understanding the latest common core strategy requiring three ways to solve a math equation, and most importantly, STOP comparing how you’re doing with what your friends or child’s friends’ parents are doing! YOU ARE A ROCK STAR because you are showing up daily and taking each day in stride! 2. The space between your ears is LIMITLESS! Options are always available for you to choose. As you receive emails and instructions from your child(ren)’s teacher(s) and school, think about what best suits your child, you, and your entire family! Remote learning is complex and can easily turn into an immense amount of screen time with limited human interactions! Look for opportunities to turn the assignment into a richer exploration! - When asked to research about a time period, an area in the world, compare and contrast articles, etc, invite your child(ren) to creatively teach you about what they learn as well as seek out other ingenious techniques for them to show learning through cooking, art, singing, dramatic interpretations, or anything active! - Social interactions with peers is equally or more imperative than any assignment your child receives! Zoom.com offers free 40 minute slots, and your child(ren) can hold Zoom sessions with peers to teach them, too. - Instead of having your child on the screen for endless amounts of time, return to the art of writing! Once completed, your child can take a photo of their amazingly neat and well crafted work, upload the photo to whichever site your school uses for assignments, and close the world of technology until the next day. 3. Flexibility produces resilience, resilience produces adaptability, adaptability produces a gooey brain ready for anything that comes one’s way! We hear on the regular how having a “growth mindset” allows the unknown to occur, inviting new ways of thinking or exploring the world with different lenses. However, how do we actually find these “new” lenses and more, how do you ensure the new lenses stay in place during such uncharted times? Life is full of unknowns, and as both an educator and life long learner, I have the power to choose how I approach my learning AND my teaching! Your child is the captain of their learning! By handing over the reins to your child, they will quickly learn that flexibility opens a myriad of doors for communication, self-discovery, and ownership in accomplishing their given tasks. Your child(ren) will organically learn how resilient they are by navigating assignments, honing in on concepts that are accessible when presented with new information and “not yet” learned skills. Best, in a calm state, your child(ren) will be able to adapt to their teacher’s availability. Adaptation will help your child prioritize the given workload, check-in with their own self about when support is truly needed or wanted, and will help each person celebrate their ability to acknowledge how and when to STOP, BREATHE, AND TAKE A BREAK! We are all programmed to GO! And now, we are inviting an opportunity for our gooey brain to welcome new ways of learning, exploring, and discovering how previously learned materials can in fact support unfamiliar areas! 4. PLAY, RUN, LAUGH! Learning and discovery happens everywhere, especially when we step out of our rigidity and into the foreign fields! Instead of using standard measurements to make your favorite cookies, have your child figure out equivalencies and bake away! Turn up the music and have dance parties! Rewrite the directions to your favorite board game! Pull out the “mad-libs” and tell funny stories! Creating and maintaining a sense of lightness feeds our soul! 5. Remember, all of this is temporary! If you need additional ideas to support your child and you during these uncertain times, reach out! We are a community that CAN AND WILL RISE TOGETHER!

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I am on a quotes kick and love these quotes about teaching: Teachers make a difference everyday and they have certainly impacted my life. It is estimated that within the next ten years, 65% of America’s teachers will retire, including my mother-in-law. Because of the loss of all these great teachers, we need to look at the profession of teaching in an honest and practical way. A new documentary is taking a serious look at the current state of the public education system in the United States. I’ve had a ton of great teachers through the years that impacted my life through my MANY years of education. Most of my teachers impacted my life in some way, but the first one that comes to mind is my economics teacher in high school. Everyone in high school talked about economics as though it was the worst thing in the world. I was terrified of it until the class started! I immediately fell in love with the subject. It was the first time that a subject ever piqued my curiosity. I attribute my love of economics to my teacher, Mrs. Fogerty. She was a tough cookie, but that made the class fun! She made me work for my grade and I enjoyed every minute of it. Because she was such a great teacher, I was inspired to study economics in undergrad. During the study of economics, I also encountered other amazing teachers. My international economics professor hammered a point in every one of his lectures that guides me daily. He expressed the importance of being a lifetime learner. With the guidance of amazing professors, I continue to learn everyday and continued my education all the way to graduating from the University of Miami School of Law. For your amusement, I have included some pictures of me as a student through the years. Second Grade at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Brooklyn, New York Freshman Year in High School in Stuart, Florida Law School Barrister’s Ball at University of Miami The documentary follows four dedicated teachers from different schools across the United States over the course of one school year. The film gives viewers a window into the challenges, demands and rewards of teaching, with the purpose of elevating and promoting the profession, as well as engaging new teachers and supporting current teachers. For the best teachers, it’s not just a job but a mission. As intense as it is emotional, this year in the life of four public-school teachers illustrates how tenacity, passion and a belief in innovation drive these educators as they navigate the daily ups and downs of the 2012-2013 school year. These educators use conventional and unconventional methods and do whatever it takes to overcome obstacles and strive for success. Watch the TEACH Documentary A two-hour special television event presented by Participant Media, “TEACH” is set to debut on the CBS Television Network on September 6th at 8:00 pm ET/PT. “TEACH” will also air on the new network, Pivot 9/18 at 8PM ET/PT. Check out the TEACH documentary trailer! It’s really cool and makes reference to the lifetime learning concept that I taken on as my personal mantra. Let me know how teachers have influenced your life and the lives of your children. I cannot wait to hear your stories!

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For many people, giving a presentation is not easy. Doesn’t matter if you are presenting virtually or in person. Some are comfortable standing in front of a crowd, clicker in hand, attempting to impart a message. However, comfort doesn’t necessarily mean competency. I have seen many first-timers ace a presentation and many seasoned professionals make a right hash of it. So here are a few simple presentation tips, that many people forget about, which will help you consistently deliver far better presentations. Avoid death by PowerPoint This advice is probably in every presentation skills article I have ever read, and yet I regularly meet with people who have a phenomenal number of slides in their deck. One of the leading causes for packing the presentation slide deck is sheer nerves. People are nervous that they will forget what they wanted to say, and the content on the slides is there to prompt them with the right words. Others are apprehensive that what they have to say isn’t of interest, so face the screen to avoid making eye contact with the audience. People didn’t come to hear a reading from you. They don’t want to spend an hour looking at the back of your head while you read from the screen. Likewise, the more your audience is focused on trying to read your slides filled with your notes, the less they are listening to you. You and your knowledge are the most crucial element of your presentation. Your slides are only there to reinforce the main points of your message. Have confidence in your message and never read to your audience. Use the slides only to reinforce your message. Tell your story Just getting confidence is not easy. The notion that it is just, ‘lost under the couch’ or ‘hiding in the garage somewhere’ for you to find is just nonsense, I know. Confidence comes with repetition and practice. However, one of the areas I address in my podcast is that to become an agile speaker; you need to know your topic and prepare for your presentation. I am also a firm believer that you need to tell a story with your presentation. Learning a speech word-for-word when you are talking for an extended period can be very difficult. If you have a good knowledge of your subject area, and you have prepared in terms of the length of time, then craft your presentation into a story. Use your slides as prompts for each chapter. You will have a more relaxed approach and also not feel the pressure if you miss a word. Remember, the audience doesn’t know what you were going to say, so they will never know if you missed a section or moved some words around – unless you have your full presentation written on your slides! Avoid style over substance There are some fantastic tools for presentations now. A host of other systems has joined PowerPoint on the market to help you deliver your message. However, with so much choice, it can detract from the original purpose, which is for you to give a clear, coherent message, whether you are presenting in person or online. Try to avoid the compulsion to add a lot of features to your slides. Remember they are there to reinforce your point, not detract from it. The more moving parts of your slide, the more you need to control, and the less you are holding your audience’s attention. If you have a mix of colours, and your copy crosses different shades, it may become hard for your audience to read. If your font size is too small because you have tried to cram lots of information on the slide, again, it will be hard to read. Video content can provide some inspiring context to your message. It can also create a lot of stress if you have not prepared and tested the film before your presentation. If it is a YouTube clip, make sure the wifi is working. If it is hosted in your PowerPoint, make sure the device you play it on also has the film uploaded. All of this takes us back to the central point that people have come to hear from you, and any supporting material is just that. Control your space This presentation skill is often a matter of choice; however, in our recent blog, we talked about the power of non-verbal communication. There is no set rule, but it is essential to use your body as much as you are comfortable and are in full control of your space when presenting. Your environment often dictates it: - Is enough space to move on stage? - Where is the laptop is or is there even a laptop; - Is there a clicker? - Is it is a press conference or presentation or perhaps a business pitch? - Is there a podium? - Is it a hand-held mic or a mic stand? Some people prefer to be behind a podium; others prefer to move around. No matter where you feel comfortable, it is crucial you maintain a confident posture. This is also true when you are giving a virtual presentation too. If you are visible on your presentation online you need to be aware of your presence. While we don’t expect everyone to find the stage presence of Barak Obama suddenly, there are a few simple things you should always avoid. - Don’t slouch over the podium - Don’t have your hands in your pockets - Don’t fidget - Don’t eat or chew gum - Always have access to some drinking water There are many other presentation tips that will help you get over any fears you might have and most importantly help you to deliver the very best presentation message for your audience. Keep an eye on our site for our downloadable guide coming soon.

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A day care is a good example of a small business. It is a business venture that generates profit according to its high demand. A daycare is a place where working parents without nannies can take their young ones during the day or night when they are at work. The caregivers at the daycare centers take care of the children by feeding, cleaning and making sure they are at ease until they are taken by their parents or guardian. The most important thing is the safety and wellbeing of the children therefore a daycare should be situated in an environment that is conducive for them. Most daycares are situated in schools where kids whose parents work late can stay until they are picked during late hours. Most teachers and caregivers in those daycares are not properly trained for the specific job that they are supposed to carry out. The director of High Hope daycare invited me to his business to provide training and consultation. Employees should understand that even after obtaining a job opportunity in an organization, they should always be updated on new techniques and courses that will supplement their qualifications. By conducting a training program for his employees, the director will have more competitive workers that will operate efficiently hence attracting more clients. *Purpose / Agenda for the Training* The purpose of this proposal is to train the staff on how to improve performance for The High Hope Daycare Services. This training will also help in identifying the challenges that the director of the daycare might face. This will help in early prevention of the obstacles by heading towards the right direction. The trainings agenda will also include detecting the organizational gaps in this business and justifying its effects. *Comprehensive Discussion on the Proposal Agenda* *Key elements of training and development in improving the performance of High Hope Daycare* Orientation is one of the key elements that the institution should engage in to commit new employees their new jobs. Training and development program recommend employees to undergo orientation of their new work place for the purpose of preparation for the commitment of their work. mentorship is also an element that a training program require the daycare teachers to go through by being given advice and training by the old employees on the matters of organizational cultures so as to help them in them in developing skills that will come in handy for benefit the of the institution. Another key element is the job rotation program in the small business. This is an effective way of making sure that incase of any market change in the day care business the employees will be flexible to carry on with their duties in a different working position. When the key elements are properly put into practice, the daycare will experience a very big change in terms of employee performance. This is because training will equip the caregivers with the necessary skills which will make them do exactly what they are required to hence improved performance (Shaw, 2018). Once the teachers understand their work in the institution, it will definitely increase their job satisfaction and will stay longer in the company not only to enjoy the benefits of working there but also to continue offering their qualified services to the institution. Shaw (2018) suggests that a training program should provide information and knowledge that is relevant to their jobs and meet their needs and expectation. Before the employer asked for my consultation for his daycare business he first identified the needs of his employees and made sure I successful delivered a program that meet the employees’ expectation. *Challenges that the High Hope Daycare Director Might Face* Managing people from different background and with different values in an institution can be challenging for many directors and it is recommend that they should foresee the challenges and be ready to tackle them whenever they arise. As a small business consultant I always advice my clients to never under estimate the staff performance management issue no matter the size of the institution (Vinel, 2015). The daycare director should be able to have ways of ensuring that the employees are working effectively in meeting the institution objectives. Here are some of the issues that the daycare management might face while addressing organizational performance. *Maximizing Employees Performance* Most mangers strive towards increasing their output by maximizing their employees’ performance. This is not as easy as many small business owners might think. Making the existing skills, knowledge and talents more productive for the benefit of an organization is such a complicated task. This becomes more complex when the manger is handling different projects with other companies (Vinel, 2015). As stated earlier, every challenge must have a solution or a a way of dealing with it. Bruno Vinel used a number of processes in performance management that really worked for him in his different teams. The managers should clearly outline the vision and the strategies put in place. He should communicate the employees and make clear the objectives and what is needed to be done. He should plan and set the targets to be made and give out the initiatives for the strategies by enhancing feedback and learning *Managing Millenials employers* Daycare staff can be of different age groups ranging from young mothers to grandmothers. In such an institution with employers of different generation, it easier to handle the older ones compared to the young ones. The management should thoroughly address the needs of the millennial generation and avoid generalizing. Millennial workers pay attention to details and adapt easily to new strategies and plans. They are workers who are full of new ideas and usually need more feedback on every progress they make (Vinel, 2015). The existing managerial system may not fully cater for the highly educated young employees which this can lead to low performance in their work. In my view as consultant appraisals should be done every now and then to evaluate current performance, so that if any problems are identified, they can be dealt with within a short period of time. But instead most organization review appraisals for a year backwards which makes it hard for mistakes to be quickly spotted. In order to avoid inefficiencies in employees’ performance the objectives to be reached should be well understood by the employees and should be revisited every time to make every point clear. *Justifying the effects of detecting organizational gaps in the daycare business* An organizational gap analysis can be conducted to identify which organizational gaps are present in an institution. Since there are not many staff in the daycare the analysis can be conducted to every staff as opposed to per department (Berman, 2018)). There are several organizational that are more likely to be present in a daycare setup; skill gap, performance gap or communication gap. Skill gap is the difference between what the organization need in terms of skilled employees and what the employees can currently provide. Performance gap occurs when the current performance of the workforce is different from the desired organization performance. By detecting the present organizational gaps, the manager will be aware of the areas or departments which are underperformed and act quickly in providing a lasting solution. It also helps in realizing the current status of the company and how far it is from reaching its set goals (Berman, 2018). By detecting the gaps in high hope daycare, the director will easily know if the institution is working towards its vision or not. After identifying the gaps the manager should look at what could have caused them. For example if the organizational gaps present in the daycare is performance gap, the director should find out what causes the underperformance (Berman, 2018). If the daycare has the capability of handling more than a hundred children according to the number of staff but they can only manage half the number and there are complaints from the parents on how their children are being treated. This can caused by lack of skills from the employees and also luck of training on the new technology or equipment on handling the generation z children (Nordmeyer, 2018). When the manager identifies gap and the causes, he should go ahead and come up with a strategy that will get the institution back on its feet and running and make it the best that people recommend for their children. Here is a competitive training strategy that will improve the position of the business in the market. This strategy is designed to meet the institution goal and help in addressing the issue of the organizational gaps detected. Training strategy offers information and knowledge that add value to the employees’ performance by improving employee skill set and prepare staff for the goal to be achieved (Root, 2018). For high hope daycare to know its internal needs, an assessment should be conducted which can be easily done by the manager because he has a better knowledge of the employees. The staff performance can be assessed by determining the efficiency dedication and turn over. Once the deficiency has been detected the next step is getting employee feedback (Leonard, 2018). The surveys to get employees feedback can be done privately by feeling a form and submitting it to the manager. By doing this the employees will be honest in giving their feedback even if it is negative hence obtaining accurate information. *Other daycare services* The director should learn from his competitors, what works and what does not work for them. Taking one or two tips from your competitors can be a business strategy that can maximize the institution profit. *Agenda of training activities* This area will point out on the main agenda that the training will be about. This is from the feedback that the employees have given and the deficiency seen in the care giving department as observed by the director. The first agenda of the training activities will to learn more on employee behavior. This includes sensitive matters such as sexual harassment at work and communication strategies (Root, 2018). The training on this will discuss how an employee is supposed to do once they experience sexual abuse at work, how to communicate effectively among employees clients and even the management in order to actualize the daycare gals and vision. Another important agenda in the training activities is the employer performance strategy. This is a very important agenda to be discussed because it point outs on the performance of the employee which is contributing factor to the development of the institution. The feedback given by the employees the underperformance is brought by untrained daycare teachers who are not familiar with the latest technology and equipments in serving our clients (Root, 2018). *Instructional strategies to be used* They are different methods used in a training program to help participants master the delivered content. They include; · Chunking- this involves presentation of information in small units, this helps the brain to organize the already learnt information to prevent overload. This is suitable for the elderly employees. · Reciprocal Teaching – this is where by the participants master content then remind themselves by teaching one another. This helps one remember all the details of the lesson. · Visual and graphic organizers- these include diagrams, tables, charts, videos and audios. This is a very good way to put emphasis on what has been taught (Connors, 2011). *Details of the Training strategy proposal* · Training program will start from April 25th and will be on for two weeks. · All the employees of High Hope Daycare will be participating in this program. · Employees to be informed about the training requirement · Provide training and writing materials for the participants · After every training session ask for feedback about how it was and what they have learnt. · The training will take place in the school classrooms to avoid extra accommodation cost. · There will a test for what has been learnt to see what the employees have captured. Berman, C. (2018). *Organizational Gap Analysis*. *Smallbusiness.chron.com Smallbusiness.chron.com>*. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from smallbusiness.chron.com/organizational-gap-analysis-70281.html Connors, P. (2011). *Instructional Strategies for Effective Training Delivery*. *Hr.maricopa.edu Hr.maricopa.edu>*. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from hr.maricopa.edu/sites/default/files/InstructionalStrategiesManual.pdf Leonard, K. (2018). *How to Develop an Effective Training Strategy*. *Smallbusiness.chron.com Smallbusiness.chron.com>*. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from smallbusiness.chron.com/develop-effective-training-strategy-17943.html Nordmeyer, B. (2018). *How to Document a Performance Gap & Solution Strategy*. *Smallbusiness.chron.com Smallbusiness.chron.com>*. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from smallbusiness.chron.com/document-performance-gap-solution-strategy-38612.html Root, G. (2018). *Examples of a Training Strategy*. *Smallbusiness.chron.com Smallbusiness.chron.com>*. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-training-strategy-11474.html Shaw, J. (2018). *Effects of Training on Employee Performance*. *Smallbusiness.chron.com Smallbusiness.chron.com>*. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-training-employee-performance-39737.html Vinel, B. (2015). *5 challenges with organisational and employee performance*. *www.linkedin.com www.linkedin.com>*. Retrieved 20 April 2018, from www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-challenges-organisational-employee-performance-bruno-vinel

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Objectives, Strategies & Activities Objectives, strategies and activities The main objectives during the year were: - To ensure that every child enjoys the same high quality education in terms of resourcing, tuition and care. - To raise the standard of educational attainment of all students. - To continue to improve the effectiveness of the school by keeping the curriculum and organisational structure under continual review. - To provide value for money for the funds expended. - To comply with all appropriate statutory and curriculum requirements. - To maintain close links with business, industry, commerce and higher and further education, and to conduct the School’s business in accordance with the highest standards of integrity, probity and openness. Amongst other things, the Trust Board will agree to: - Set the aims and objectives for the school. - Set the policies for achieving those aims and objectives. - Set the targets for achieving those aims and objectives. - Monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards achievement of its aims and objectives. - Be a source of challenge and support to the Principal. - Promote high standards of educational achievement. - Set the school's budget, including numbers of staff and their pay. The schools’ main strategy is encompassed in its stated aim which is ‘to provide an excellent education for children from the local community in a safe, supportive learning environment, where people are valued and make positive contributions to the school, and where pupils go on to become responsible, independent members of society’. Key objectives in the school development plan for 2022 - 2023 are: Quality of Education - Improve any disparities between outcomes at KS4 and KSS - Improve attainment/progress of disadvantaged students (particularly high ability) - Improve attainment/progress of high ability students - Ensure that curriculum provision meets needs of all pupils (particularly EHCP and high risk) 2022/2023 and beyond - Teaching and learning CPD in place to improve quality of education for all students - New assessment/data/reporting system implemented and reviewed - To develop the curriculum offer by identifying cross –curricular links (through the work of the leadership team) and put into place processes to support middle leaders to use these effectively. To put into place processes to support middle leaders to develop further highly effective curriculum sequencing within their subjects - To evaluate the impact of curriculum structures and assessment strategies on the building up of knowledge/skills and longer term memory and retention Behaviour & Attendance - Close the PP/non-PP attendance gap further - Reduce Exclusions (internal and external) - Ensure The Bridge provides SEND pupils with strategies to improve behaviour in long term - Clear programme in place to monitor the progress of pupils in terms of the enriched curriculum and personal development - Careers programme which meets all Gatsby benchmark criteria in place for all years which meets needs of a range of aspirations post-16 and post-18 - Comprehensive range of experiences provided to develop pupils talents and cultural capital beyond the National Curriculum Leadership and Management - Trustee Restructure ensuring compliance with DfE - Three year budget plan in place and benchmarking reviews completed - Steering groups in place to ensure direction in key areas of the school - Working with parents - To ensure the ECT framework is in place and staff training/CPD meets current needs

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Have you watched our video, "Kansas Schools to Start in September 2020"? If not, here's the video: In the video, explore what the delay in school means for students in Kansas. I urge parents of all students to encourage continuous learning, even if school isn't in session. Finally, be sure to join my free Students Aiming for As group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/asforstudents/ so you can get free, educational materials and keep your mind, and that of your child, sharp and ready for learning! Would you prefer to read the transcript? We understand! Below is the transcript to our above video, Kansas to Start School Year 2020 in September. To read the full transcript, please continue scrolling. Hey, everyone! Jessyka Coulter here. Usually, I would be bringing you some kind of info or teaching you something. Today, I just want to simply ask if you've heard about the latest order from our governor here in Kansas. I don't want to tell you my opinions or say she's right or wrong. I just want to ask if you're keeping up-to-date with the back to school plans for fall 2020. I'm doing my best to stay current since I work as a tutor and also because I work as a substitute teacher in a couple districts here in Kansas. I haven't worked in a classroom since March, so I can only imagine some schools in Kansas and throughout the world haven't been open since March. In this video, I want to let you know that tutoring companies like mine, Ace Cookie Tutoring, are here, and we're doing our best to keep children and adults learning - just like most, if not all, schools throughout the world. Learning never stops. It doesn't matter if your child has or hasn't started school or if he's going into middle or high school. You've got to get your kid to learn. If that means you use me/my tutoring company, wonderful! I'm posting new free resources as often as possible. I'm also creating paid resources. So, if you want to do some activities with you child, or if you just want to give him or her something educational to do because your child's school is not providing things, definitely take advantage. I'd love to talk to you over the phone to set up some kind of educational plan for your family whether it's something face-to-face in person or online. Online might be the safer choice right now. It's totally up to you! Whatever it is, I just want to help your children learn. Take advantage of the free step-by-step tutorials on my page www.facebook.com/acecookietutoring and on my YouTube channel (Ace Cookie Tutoring), or check out PBS, Kaplan, or Khan Academy. Whatever you use, just let your kids learn. Kids who haven't started school yet have an entire world to explore and learn about. If you have really young kiddos, and you're walking with them outside, help them figure out what plants are what. Or, if you're at the grocery store, practice counting by counting something on the shelf. It doesn't really matter what activity you're doing with your child - just help your kid learn. I want education to keep going. I don't want people to think because school is done for the moment that the kids are done. I am so against that. If I felt that learning wasn't important, I wouldn't work as a substitute teacher or a tutor. Yes, school is different right now. It's been different since March, and it looks like it's going to stay different for awhile longer. If your child's school decides not to do online learning until after Labor Day or waits until September to open its doors, just think about how long it's been since your child has sat in a classroom or how long it's possibly been since his/her teacher required him/her to do any work. One of my students I met with today goes to a nearby district. She's a freshman, and the school decided last spring freshmen that had A's and B's were done for the year. My student is in advanced classes. Last year, she had homework over the summer that was required to be turned in the first day of school. Yet, because of COVID, school officials have decided that's not important. Nothing is being required of her until September at this point. I don't want to get preachy or shove my opinions down your throat. All I want is for you to know that I think education is important. I hope you think it is important, too. Thanks so much guys!

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A dozen pediatric organizations including SickKids are urging the Ontario government to make reopening schools a priority, citing a “crisis in children’s mental health” as a result of COVID-19 pandemic closures. “The impact of school closures and the resulting social isolation on the health and well-being of children and youth has become impossible to ignore. Getting Ontario’s students back into the classroom, with appropriate safety measures in place, for the remainder of this school year and for summer learning must be a priority now,” claimed the letter. “We are witnessing a crisis in children’s mental health with a dramatic increase in the utilization of acute mental health services. Schools play an essential role in the recovery process. In-person school provides students with routine and structure, accountability, socialization and recognition of abuse and neglect.” Other signatories to the open letter include the Canadian Pediatric Society, the Pediatricians Alliance of Ontario, Ottawa Community Pediatrician Network, Children First Canada, McMaster Children’s Hospital, the Coalition for Kids and several other similar groups. According to the letter, the signatories have three requests: for schools to reopen “immediately”, for summer school learning to take place in-person and for schools to resume regular scheduling in September. “With the decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Ontario by over 50%, and with more than 50% of adults at least partially vaccinated, the decision to re-open schools at this time will have minimal, if any, impact on the health care system,” reads the open letter. Recently, the Ontario government announced that it would continue forcing kids to learn virtually until a “consensus” is reached with teachers unions and public health advisors. “On the one hand, we have some doctors saying they want to open the schools. On the other hand, we have the teachers’ unions saying we can’t do that right now,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said earlier this week. “We need public health doctors, teachers and labour partners to agree on the best path forward … And we simply don’t have that right now.” This is not the first time that children’s health specialists have raised the alarm about the growing mental health crisis faced by the province’s youth. In April, the Ottawa Community Pediatricians Network warned that the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns were causing more and more children to report serious mental health issues.

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Essential Truths for Principals By Danny Steele Add Book To Favorites Search for a digital library with this title Title found at these libraries: School principals are constantly being pulled in different directions. How do you focus on the things that matter most? In this inspiring book from Danny Steele, creator of the popular Steele Thoughts blog, and Todd Whitaker, bestselling author and speaker, you'll learn how to center your leadership on your core values and the practices that have the biggest impact. The authors reveal essential truths that will make you a more effective principal in areas such as school culture, appreciating teachers, and empowering your staff. The strategies are presented in digestible chunks, perfect for book studies, professional development sessions, and other learning formats. With the inspiring anecdotes and insights in this book, you'll be reminded of your greater purpose – making a difference in students' lives.

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We educate students at elementary, middle and high schools about the good and bad that come with social media. We help parents understand the impact that smart phones and social media can have on children. We work with school administration and provide an ongoing curriculum that can be used in their schools and classrooms. Our teams LOVES to be in front of students! Each presentation we bring to a school will be catered to the needs of their students. Not all communities have the same major issues. Cyber bullying may be more prominent than pornography in an area. While we touch on all issues, we are able to focus on what’s most important to you. Although we are not a faith based organization, we have team members who are passionate about sharing the “life is looking up” message paralleled with their faith in God. Become a “LOOKING UP CAMPUS”! Our team of licensed therapists are working on a curriculum that will be user friendly and benefit students, parents and administrators. We are committed to following up with the schools after a presentation. We want to know how your students are doing and if there’s anything else we can do to be helping them LOOK UP. We will provide a short video each week that will be a reminder to the students of what they felt we we were there in person and encourage them to keep LOOKING UP. We are reaching out to schools in all communities and providing them information about our Looking Up program. Emily T -- Mountain Heights Academy

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) today announced a partnership with the Houston Independent School District (ISD), the largest school district in the state of Texas and the seventh largest in the country to provide teachers and administrators with data-driven measures of student achievement. Announced today at the Texas Assessment Conference in Austin, Houston ISD will adopthttp://www.schoolcio.com/Default.aspx?tabid=111&ctl=UserArticleManage&mid=474 HMH’s Iowa Assessments™; Logramos®3rd Edition, an assessment of achievement in Spanish; and the Cognitive Abilities Test™ (CogAT®) – a decision that will impact more than 210,000 students in 282 schools throughout the district. HMH’s solution will continue to enable Houston ISD to assess student achievement relative to district, state, and national levels, while also equipping teachers and administrators with information to make decisions regarding gifted status and student grade placement. “Through this partnership, Houston ISD will have access to assessments that provide a clear and accurate portrait of student achievement, allowing educators to more effectively identify areas of strength and weakness, and create personalized learning pathways to meet those needs,” said Jim Nicholson, President, HMH–Riverside. “Our plan for the school district is built upon comprehensive training and support that will help ensure that our assessments bring value to teachers and administrators within the district.” The Iowa Assessments, the result of a longstanding partnership between HMH–Riverside and the University of Iowa, monitors growth through a continuous research-based vertical scale. Its newest Forms E and F measure achievement in core academic areas important for success at the college and university level. It also provides the opportunity to evaluate performance against next-generation academic standards and track college and career readiness. As the newest group-administered assessment of achievement in Spanish, Logramos 3rd Edition measures five subject areas—Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. With a Hispanic student population topping 60 percent in the district, Logramos supports HISD’s educational goals for English Language Learners (ELLs). CogAT, the assessment to measure students’ cognitive abilities and learning styles, offers a new edition that is accessible for ELL students. New features include the use of pictures and figures rather than words and phrases that may be unfamiliar to non-native speakers, providing an equitable testing experience for all students.

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- The extra year - which will not be compulsory - is part of an effort to improve early childhood development and alleviate the financial strains of childcare. - Victoria plans to introduce the extra school year from 2025. It will be called 'pre-prep.' - The NSW government committed $5.8 billion for the additional play-based learning, which will be called ‘pre-kindergarten'. NSW will begin a pilot program from 2023. Listen to the audio Sa isang hakbang na inilarawan bilang 'ground-breaking', sa loob ng isang dekada ang lahat ng bata sa New South Wales at Victoria ay makakapasok sa libreng play-based learning isang taon bago ang kanilang pagpasok sa eskwelahan.

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Being a Classroom Partner at Murray Middle School Cheryl Olman, PhD, jokes that her motivation for starting the Classroom Partners program at Murray Middle School in St. Paul was selfish. After earning tenure, Olman wanted to find a way to give back, but she wanted to stick close home and to create a program “that I wanted to work in...a program that I was proud of.” Initially, Olman signed up to be a tutor in an existing tutoring program at Murray Middle School, which is only a few blocks from her house. Now, several years later, she helped develop and is preparing to launch the Classroom Partners program, which will match more than 60 University of Minnesota student volunteers with 11 classrooms at Murray. The Classroom Partners Program This past summer, Olman learned that the program in which she had tutored students at Murray had lost its funding. She quickly contacted the school’s principal, Jamin McKenzie, with an idea to replace the program. Why not tap the University of Minnesota community, whose St. Paul Campus is less than a mile from the school? Olman offered to help build a program to identify and match University of Minnesota volunteers, who are primarily undergraduate students in need of Community-Engaged Learning credit, with classrooms and eventually students at Murray. Rather than it being a separate class that required additional funding, and pulled students away from fun elective classes they wanted to take, Olman proposed that these volunteers be embedded in the classroom during the regular school day and she thought it was important that implicit bias and anti-racism training was provided for each volunteer. Principal McKenzie jumped at the idea and built on Olman’s proposal by directing his leadership team to provide the same training that the rest of the school staff receives about how to run inclusive classrooms and stay focused on the strengths that each student brings to a situation. Now, only a couple of months later, Classroom Partners is about to launch. According to Olman, for the first couple of weeks of the program, the Classroom Partners volunteers will just be present in the classroom - remembering what it is like to be in middle school, seeing how things are taught, and building relationships with the students and teacher. Albeit now, due to the pandemic, volunteers will join virtual classrooms. After 2 to 3 weeks, the teacher will then match volunteers to specific students who could benefit from extra attention and support, ranging from preparing to retake summative assessments (tests) to coming up with their own ideas for individual inquiry science projects. The interactions are meant to be student- and teacher-driven, rather than volunteer-driven. The volunteer can ask the student if there is anything with which they can help, but if the student is not asking for it, Olman said “it’s time to talk about sports.” Once the volunteer and student have a strong enough relationship - once there is trust - then hopefully the student will be comfortable asking for help. The teacher might also ask the volunteer to focus on certain things with the student, especially if the student is behind or struggling. Ultimately, if the match is good and there is a rapport between the volunteer and the student, the volunteer will then reach out to the student’s parents to introduce themself, as well as talk about how things are going and ways in which they can help support their child. The goal is to build a semester-long relationship between the student, the teacher, the parent/s, and the volunteer, all focused around the success and well-being of the student. Interestingly, while the University’s academic calendar used to pose a problem for this program given that the University volunteers would physically leave in early December when the fall semester ended, they can now continue the relationship well into December given that the connections are made virtually. Olman’s insistence on implicit bias and anti-racism training for volunteers is key to working toward culturally responsive mentoring in this program, especially given the demographic makeup of the student body at Murray. According to their website, 1.3% of the students at Murray identify as American Indian, 17% as Asian American, 35.3% as African American, 8.5% as Hispanic American, and 37.8% as Caucasian American. According to Olman, the “racial distribution [at Murray] is what you wish your world looked like….it’s exciting to be in a space that has no dominant racial or ethnic majority.” In order to track all of the volunteers and their training completions, Olman was aided by Silke Moeller, academic technologist in the Department of Psychology at the University. Moeller helped Olman set up a Canvas site, which is now doing all that work for her. Olman stressed that when you have to do a “pandemic pivot,” it’s important to be nimble, which Moeller was able to help facilitate. Why is Classroom Partners Important? Even though Murray Middle School is situated in the affluent neighborhood of St. Anthony Park, 58.5% of its student body qualifies for free and reduced lunch. Olman stated, The public schools do not have the resources they need to do the job….You need equitable funding, reasonable class sizes..but we don’t live in that world. We can’t not educate the next generation and we can’t only educate the rich kids. This [program] might be a band-aid, but why not take advantage of all the resources we have? [Murray] is a 3-minute walk from the University. If this school can’t make up for it, what school can? Olman believes that by simply providing extra human resources in the classroom, who take direction from and subordinate themselves to the teachers, they can positively impact student success. Also, the middle schoolers look up to these University student volunteers, which matters because Olman hopes it will help the younger students envision themselves there someday. Pipelines don’t just happen. Rather, they are built through relationships, community, and creating space where one is free to ask questions. In addition to hopefully benefitting the middle schoolers, Olman suspects that the University student volunteers too will be positively impacted. Toward that end, volunteers participate in weekly reflection circles in small groups. These groups are designed to support experiential learning by giving volunteers space to reflect on their experiences and use them to create new plans for impacting the world around them. Additionally, Olman and Seth Thompson, Director of Outreach in the College of Biological Sciences, are partnering with Murray to create an assessment structure that will help measure the impact of the support on both middle school students and University students. Classroom Partners will start joining classrooms the week of October 12. Olman is eager to watch the relationships grow and to learn more about how the University can support the leadership at Murray Middle School as they teach the next generation how to work for positive change in their world. Cheryl Olman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. In 2019, she was awarded the Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.

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“May I give you some feedback?” I heard this question recently during a middle school visit. This classroom had a markedly different feel than others I’d visited that day–and it was during the last period of the day. (During the last period of a busy middle school day, when you might expect 13 and 14 year olds to be antsy for the day’s end…) This teacher was using lots of great instructional strategies–greeting kids at the door with a handshake, bringing everyone’s attention to the posted agenda, clear objectives and outcomes, (written as “How I Know I’ve Learned It” and the expectation of a self assessment exit ticket). What really struck me, however, was the tone of the room–respectful and warm throughout the class and exemplified by that one question. A student had just taken a turn leading the group–literally conducting a performance–and the end result was not as sharp as it could have been. The student first acknowledged that with a shy smile and the teacher asked the group if anyone could give him pointers. A few did, respectfully, but none of them quite gave him enough for meaningful improvement. That’s when the teacher asked, “May I give you some feedback?” Clearly, it was time for the teacher to step in to make sure the student had a full understanding of how to perform this activity. And, of course, she had to give him that feedback–so one might wonder why she phrased it that way. But she communicated was, “You own your learning. I’d like to help you deepen it. Would you like to hear my feedback so that you can do that?” Of course the student nodded yes, tried again, and got it right. Similar versions of the same ensued as other students made attempts, mistakes and more attempts. Students get feedback it all the time–via assessments, via comments, non-verbal communication, etc. But getting isn’t receiving—it doesn’t always stick or help them grow. Perhaps the simple trick is asking them if they are ready and willing to receive it. When they do, they can own their own learning and truly take off as learners.Read More

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Become a teacher… I said. It’ll be fun… I said. I remember exactly what my own high school teacher told me when I asked her what it was like teaching English. “Do you want your eyes to bleed from grading? Do you want to spend hours on the phone talking to parents? Then be a teacher.” I ignored her, of course, thinking that she was only exaggerating, or being facetious, being a grumpy washed up teacher. Unlike myself, at the time, who was a sparkly, giddy, wide eyed and tenacious college sophomore looking to inspire the world with the spoken word. At this point, however, I am three years out of college, and three years into my high school teaching career. I teach English, just like the grumpy teacher, which the Spanish teacher at my school jokes is the “second native language.” The past three years have been incredible for me, if you look at my track record. Over one hundred graduated hugged, three seasons as a successful coach, research papers graded, attendance taken, bathroom passes written, graphic organizers created, study guides drafted and PowerPoints edited. I found myself back at my parents’ house this week, going through some of my old college binders and was pleasantly surprised, albeit a bit more nostalgic for my own liking, at the sheer inspiration and hope that emulated from those notes and papers. It was surreal to hear my own authentic voice coming through the well organized, intricately developed and edited papers about the beauty of shaping the youth, the importance of creativity, and the ability that a teacher has to change the trajectory of so many, many young people’s lives. Because to be honest at this point in my career, this point in my young career, things have seem to gone a bit hay wire. Any teacher knows that has been in the biz knows that its not exactly what you expected. Sometimes it’s better. Sometimes it’s worse. For me, things seem to have lost their luster. Here are 5 things that they DON’T tell you (and ways to combat them) in school… before you become a teacher. 1.You open a book for a kid, but you can’t make him read. If I had a dollar for every time I said… “It’s easier to read if the book is on your desk” I would probably be able to quit the profession, and subsequently quit saying that phrase (thank god). Despite the shiny nuanced ideas you might have to promote student engagement, or the technology implementation that you plan to utilize, most kids simply learn differently. They learn by talking, they learn by doing, and planning, and playing. They don’t learn by sitting quietly in a chair and opening a book. The education system doesn’t always honors their differences, which leaves a limited amount of patience for you and a growing deficit of knowledge for them. 2. The grading is astronomical. Grading, really in any subject, is enough to make most unhardy people turn away from the profession right then and there. Who wants to spend 5+ UNPAID hours fixing comma splices, capitalization errors, and sentence fragments? But of course you do! You are the martyr. If you are determined to do it, and do it well, keep it to 5 papers with meaningful feedback a day. Anything more than that and you are asking for an emotional, mental, and physical breakdown. Anything less than that and you won’t get anything done. 3. The best laid (lesson) plans oft go astray. You’re sitting on your couch on a Saturday night and you come up with a GENIUS and FOOLPROOF plan to teach Beowulf (the old Anglo-Saxon poem, for all you heathens not familiar with British lit). You’re going to KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK. It’s going to be **INCREDIBLE**. You get into school, gung-ho about said life changing lesson plan, copies made, coffee in hand. You might find that it went somewhere completely different than you pictured, which was still good, but not what you expected. More often than not, however, especially in my first year, the lessons that I spent hours creating were the ones that flopped, and the ones that I used my gut and intuition for, came out more authentic and useful I anything I could have ever planned. The bottom line is this – trust yourself, and trust that if something does go wrong, you will figure it out. Nothing will catch fire (unless you teach chemistry…). So take the risks, if you must. Playing it safe never grew me as a teacher or a person, and it definitely never led me to anything fun. 4. Creating tests and quizzes may become the bane of your existence. Beg, borrow and steal. Beg, borrow and steal. When you were a student, if you were anything like me, you just figured that tests materialized out of nowhere. Maybe they dropped from the sky into teacher’s mailboxes, perfectly equipped with an answer key for you and Suzie B. to cheat off of when you found it in the garbage after school. Not anymore. Most schools require teachers to create their own assessments for units, tailored specifically to the works and skills inherit within that section of study. If you decide you want to continue, for the love of all things literary, ask an older teacher for theirs, or at least a good resource of using them. The Internet is a tremendous help with this. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Chances are, someone did something similar to you, somewhere, that you can at least draw ideas from. 5. A little laughter goes a long way. So does a sassy side eye (A.K.A. the side-long teacherglance) Ask for the key to success in life and you’ll get a bunch of different answers. Ask teachers for the key to success and they’ll tell you two things: a sense of humor, and a bomb-ass teacher face. The two qualities may seem counter-intuitive, but couple them together and you get an unstoppable force. Students need to know that you mean business, and with your one of a kind sidelong teacherglance, you can stop them dead in their tracks. I once walked by a classroom with a flailing substitute at the front of the room who was trying to get three kids down from standing on a desk. I stepped into the room. I made eye contact with each one of the kids. The room fell silent. I directed my pointer finger towards the white tile floor. I didn’t say a word. The kids got down. I left. It was in that moment I decided I had perfected the sidelong teacherglance. More important than that though, in any aspect of life, but especially teaching, is having a sense of humor. Life in the classroom is no different than life outside it. Plans will go wrong, kids will act out, you’ll forget to make copies and they will forget their homework, books, pens, notebooks, paper, brains (especially on the first Monday after prom). Life goes on. Your ability to be lighthearted in the face of adversity is what brought you here in the first place.

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Keizer Elementary School Welcome to Hybrid Learning! We are so excited to get to see your faces in our classrooms once again! We are aware that this experience might feel a little daunting as things will be different. Keizer staff will be here to support you every step of the way. As we return to some in-person instruction, here are some things we would like for you to remember: 1. We will all be wearing our face coverings during the time we are at school, and will only take them off to eat 2. We will practice social distancing by remaining at least 6 feet apart from our peers at all times 3. We will maintain good hand hygiene by frequently washing our hands and using hand sanitizer 4. We will stay home if we are feeling ill Watch the following video for more information: Key dates for Salem-Keizer Public Schools March 2 - Hybrid Learning begins: grades K and 1 March 9 - Hybrid Learning begins: grades 2 and 3 March 15 - K-12 Conferences March 16 - Hybrid Learning begins: grades 4 and 5 March 22-26 - Spring Break Students who participate in elementary multi-grade special programs will also transition to hybrid learning on March 2. These programs include Emotional Growth Centers (EGCs), developmental kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms, Developmental Learning Centers (DLCs), Life Skills Classrooms (LSCs), Social Communication Intervention Program (SCIP) and Educational Resource Centers (ERCs). Salem-Keizer Public Schools has important information for elementary families in preparation for welcoming students back for in-person learning! RIDING THE SCHOOL BUS DURING HYBRID LEARNING REGISTRATION OPENS MARCH 8 Students must be five years old on or before September 10 Register at your neighborhood school What you need to bring with you: Proof of age (birth certificate) Proof of residence (utility bill, lease agreement) IN-DISTRICT TRANSFER (IDT) APPLICATION WINDOW MARCH 1-31, 2021 Please talk to school office staff if you have any questions. IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR PARENTS OF 5TH GRADE STUDENTS: APPLY FOR SECONDARY TRANSFER MARCH 1 - 31, 2021 Current fifth grade students (entering sixth grade in September) who want to attend a school other than their assigned school next fall (2021-2022 school year) must apply for in-district transfer (IDT) between March 1 and March 31, 2021. IDT applications received after March 31, 2021 will not be considered. IDT request forms can be picked up at any middle school office, and must be completed and returned to the student’s assigned middle school during the application date window. There is no guarantee a transfer request will be approved. Students attending school on an IDT are not eligible for bus transportation. Detailed information is available at: FREE GRAB-N-GO MEALS Please check the Salem-Keizer District website for updates on Grab-n-Go Meals! Link below - select "List of Sites" Grab-N-Go meal sites across Salem and Keizer communities will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for school-based locations and 11 a.m to 1 p.m. for bus stop locations. Meals are free for any child or teen ages 1-18, and adults with special needs ages 18-21 who are enrolled in a Salem-Keizer Public Schools program. BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER We are now including suppers in the Grab-N-Go meal bag. Each bag contains breakfast, lunch and supper. If you are picking up multiple bags, we recommend bringing your own bag to help carry the amount of food being distributed. SCHOOL & BUS STOP Grab-N-Go Meals are available at schools from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at bus stops from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on school days at the locations listed below. Go to this link for : OREGON HEALTH PLAN FREE FOR YOUTH Through the Oregon Health Plan, youth 19 years of age and younger have access to free health coverage, regardless of immigration status if they meet the income requirements. More information, including income requirements and how to apply for coverage, is available online.

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While it is common practice to calculate GPA and CGPA, there are times when you might want to know the percentage of your CGPA score. In fact, some educational institutions look for percentages of your score rather than Cumulative Grade Point Average. In such a situation, knowing how to convert percentage to CGPA can be useful. The result obtained will be your CGPA. Look at this example to understand this better. Example: John has secured 95% in an academic session. His CGPA would be: 95 / 9.5 = 10

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This Pre-screener is made up of 104 questions of which you will be given two possible answers. You must select the best possible answer and go to the next question. After you have gone to the next question you will not be able to change your answer. At the end of the pre-screenere you will be able to see how well you did in each of the thirteen dimensions. This pre-screener predicts which candidates will succeed as school principals serving diverse children and youth in urban poverty in major urban school districts. It analyzes respondents’ answers to thirteen dimensions of urban school administration. These dimensions were identified in our studies of star urban principals who led effective schools in major urban districts or who turned failing schools into effective ones. The items represent star administrators’ behaviors and predispositions to act. These actions reflect an ideology regarding the respondents’ beliefs about the nature of effective schooling for diverse children and youth in urban poverty and the nature of school leadership necessary to create such schools. This pre-screener may be used with experienced individuals who are currently principals or with neophytes who are aspiring principals. It is applicable to individuals who have completed state certification requirements to become principals, or individuals from other careers without formal training in teaching or school administration who are seeking to pursue an alternative route to the principalship. Those typically using this pre-screener are 1) urban school districts seeking to hire new principals, 2) urban school districts seeking to identify effective leaders for failing schools that serve diverse children and youth in poverty and 3) urban school districts seeking to select individuals for training programs to become principals. Researchers and doctoral students use the screener as a pre and post test in studies assessing the power of various training programs and other treatments intended to change or develop urban administrators. Respondents’ replies are analyzed in terms of the thirteen functions necessary for effective leadership in urban schools. Respondents’ answers are compared to those of outstanding urban school principals. The respondent’s profile provides ratings of High, Acceptable and Low on each function. Low indicates a danger zone where the responses red flag an area of weakness and likely failure by the respondent in performing that function. In addition to the respondent’s profile an overall score comparing the respondent to all others who have taken the test is provided.

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Whether you’re a new or returning Bachelor of Arts or Fine Arts student, you may be wondering why you have to take courses “outside” your chosen or prospective major. These courses are referred to as electives at UBC and play an important role in your academic experience. Arts Academic Advisor Janelle Blackman shares her advice to help you make confident decisions about choosing electives and understanding how beneficial they are to an individual and intentional education. What is an elective? You need to take at least 120 course credits to complete a BA or BFA. Courses that fulfill your program (Honours, major, minor) and degree requirements account for the majority of your credits, but you’ll still have quite a few credits left to “play” with in order to reach 120. So, what courses will fill these credits? Enter, electives. Electives let you craft an individualized and intentional degree. Because you get to choose the subjects, electives not only provide you with opportunities to explore new academic topics and gain a breadth of knowledge across disciplines, but they also make your Arts degree unique to you. The number of electives required in your degree depends on a number of things such as how many and what types of programs you’re taking. For example, if you have one major, half of your credits will be taken as electives. If you are a double major, or have a minor, you’ll take fewer electives. When should I take electives? There is no one path to degree completion, and similarly, there is no correct way to arrange your electives. The “right” time to take electives depends on your goals and interests. You should take both lower-level (100 and 200) and upper-level (300 and 400) elective courses throughout your degree, working toward fulfillment of both the Outside Requirement (courses not part of your major) and the Upper-Level Requirement. Use electives to intentionally to design your degree If you already know what you want to major in and how you want to concentrate your studies, electives can be sprinkled strategically throughout your degree to add variety to your schedule each term, or even complement your chosen major by taking an interdisciplinary approach to your specializations. For example, a Psychology major might be interested in health and wellness. To support that interest, they may opt to take electives in Sociology that explore social determinants of health or the Sociology of mental illness. While your electives might be in a different discipline, they can complement your major and your learning goals. Use electives to explore If you don’t yet know what you want to major in, you might want to take electives at the beginning of your degree to explore a wide variety of subjects and figure out what topics spark your interest the most. As an added bonus, some of these electives might become part of your major or minor. I’ve met with many upper-year students who realize that they’ve taken enough electives in a certain subject area that they are only a few courses away from fulfilling a minor. Having fun with electives Electives can be a fun way to incorporate other academic disciplines into your degree. Perhaps you’ll take a creative and performing arts course to bolster your creativity, or take a science course to learn more about the natural world. You are not only encouraged, but required to take electives outside your specializations. Electives and Credit D Fail grading If you want to take a course, but aren’t sure if you’ll do well in it, for example, if the subject is unfamiliar or challenging, some courses taken as electives are eligible for Credit, D, or Fail (CrDF) standing. When you complete the course, your grades record and transcript will show your standing instead of percentage grades. There are many rules around when you can use CrDF grading, so be sure to research if you are eligible. The elective I am taking is not the right fit If you start a course and find yourself wondering if you have made a mistake with your selection, remember that you have time at the beginning of term to add or drop courses. It is not uncommon to discover a course or subject is not a good fit. Maybe it is not as interesting as you had hoped, or maybe you’ve realized the workload is too heavy alongside your other courses. These discoveries are part of the process of crafting an individualized and intentional degree. Learning what you don’t like is just as valuable as discovering what you are passionate about! Janelle Blackman has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She enjoys helping UBC Arts students make thoughtful decisions to make the most of their degree.

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NCASE Resource Library These five podcasts feature promising practices from the Partnerships for Social and Emotional Learning Initiative (PSELI). The episodes focus on developing the capacity of adults to promote SEL, building effective partnerships, the role of coaches, and coordination between school and out-of-school programs. This resource supports the COVID-19 response. This toolkit features more than 50 adaptable tools, sample documents, tip sheets, and guidance on how to use them drawn from five urban districts and their partners, who formed the National Summer Learning Project. It is organized into five planning areas: (1) staffing, (2) site climate, (3) student recruitment, (4) planning, and (5) academics and enrichment. This PowerPoint presentation explores key principles for effective business management. It describes the concept of shared services. Some slides demonstrate the extensive resources of the ECE Shared Resources tool used by more than 20 states. It provides examples of strengthening business practices in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

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Associate of Arts & Associate of Science in Teacher Preparation The Associate in Arts and the Associate of Science in Teacher Preparation degrees prepare individuals who desire to become K-12 educators for transfer. These transfer degrees will provide students with a program of study comprised of college transfer courses and a small concentration of education coursework. The general education courses provide students with a well-rounded education that focuses on the humanities, STEM subjects, and the social behavioral sciences. The education concentration includes an overview of the American educational system; an introduction to teaching and learning concepts that are developmentally appropriate, effective, inclusive, and culturally responsive to all children; literacy development and instructional strategies to support all learners; and an introduction to the teacher licensure process. The remainder of the degree program will focus on general education outcomes with individualized education plans to support the student’s desired grade-level and content area foci. Each student is provided with an individualized plan of study for their time at A-B Tech. These education plans are personalized for each student so that the needs of the senior institution can be met for the student’s chosen grade level and content area of focus. The AA/AS in Teacher Preparation degrees will allow A-B Tech to provide a more straightforward educational path towards completion for our students who desire to be future educators, allowing them to choose between multiple senior institutions that offer their desired grade level and content area of focus. The Associate of Arts in Teacher Preparation degree is appropriate for students who desire to teach Elementary Education (K-6), Middle Grades Education (6-8) in non-STEM subject areas, and Secondary Education (9-12) in non-STEM areas, as well as other specialized content areas such as Special Education. While the Associate of Science in Teacher Preparation degree is appropriate for students who desire to teach Middle Grades Education (6-8) in STEM subject areas and Secondary Education (9-12) in STEM subject areas. Graduates are prepared to transfer to a senior institution to complete their pursuit of the necessary bachelor’s degree and earn an NC Teaching License in the grade level and content area of their choosing. Students must meet applicable admissions criteria and policies designated by, and earn admission into the education programs at the senior institution as published by each university’s schools of education programs. The Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) and the Independent Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (ICAA) enable North Carolina community college graduates of two-year associate in arts programs who are admitted to constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina and to signatory institutions of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities to transfer with junior status. Community college graduates must obtain a grade of “C” or better in each course and an overall GPA of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale in order to transfer with junior status. Courses may also transfer through bilateral agreements between institutions.

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Delivering the message in a way that people can hear. In a way that motivates them to take flight. In our house we read a book called The Whispering Rabbit…a lot. In summary, a sleepy rabbit yawns without covering his mouth and a bee flies into his throat and falls asleep so the rabbit can only whisper. A “community advisor,” he’s a groundhog, tells the rabbit that he must make a little noise to wake up the bee, “because a little bee does not bother with big noises.” The sleepy rabbit tries lots of little noises (my favorites: an egg, a bird’s wing cutting the air, a fireman thinking) until finally he makes the “small click of a bee sipping nectar from an apple blossom in an apple tree in full bloom.” With that the bee wakes up and flies away. And the little rabbit finally gets to curl up and go to sleep. It’s a great book! My son loves it because we whisper part of the words and he laughs at the thought of a little rabbit covering his mouth with his tiny paw to yawn. I like those parts also. And I like the underlying message about saying things in a way that people can hear them. In a way that motivates them to take flight. I think of that little rabbit often when I’m developing curriculum, working with community stakeholders, and doing training. I remind myself to be thoughtful about my message, how I deliver it, and the way I frame it in order for it to make sense. To make it matter. Your message should above all be informed. By what and from whom depends on the audience/community. Gather your data through research on the topic and be prepared to cite your resources (hopefully you have more than one). Depending on the topic or community issue you’re addressing, resources can include statistics from reliable studies, experts in the field, community members affected in positive and negative ways by the topic/issue, historical and current political and social dynamics, and future policy and/or trend analysis. If you are drawing a conclusion be prepared to explain a logical connection between the data and your conclusion. Frame Your Message Properly Proper framing requires comprehensive research but understanding what it means to the people it touches is vital. Spend time thinking about the different groups or individuals you will present to and how they might connect to your message, how they might benefit, and how they might be negatively impacted. If you can, talk about your work with people from diverse backgrounds. Does it make sense? Does it inspire them, anger them, or surprise them? What questions do they have and how can you answer them? If you can’t answer them, what other data or people do you need to get input from? Go back and make adjustments. Think About the Messenger Consider who should deliver the message. Could, or should, it be done by or in partnership with a community leader, representative from the target audience, and/or other key stakeholder? Your delivery should be in partnership with your audience or group with whom you’re working. Allow for questions and answer them thoughtfully if you know the answer. If you don’t, commit to further research and follow up. Don’t pretend you know everything or know better than everyone else because 1) you don’t and 2) pretty much everyone hates that. Putting it All Together Proper framing is the sum of an informed message and thoughtful delivery. Framing an issue is important. Especially when it’s the issue no one wants to talk about. This is the place where you have to find solidarity and I’ll be honest, not everyone is going to get there. Give the group time to process together as a community so that they can make their own connections to the components that matter the most to them. Education is a tool and everyone uses tools just a little bit differently. People need time to practice in order to integrate information, tools, and practices so leave space in your training or meeting for the group to work with, puzzle over, and practice new ideas. “Nothing about us without us” may seem obvious but it is so often overlooked in developing programs, curricula, and policy. If you skip out on gathering data from actual people and really, fully, openly listening to them, you run the risk of not having an informed message and/or delivering it in an ineffective or even destructive way, neither of which will have positive results. The sleepy rabbit figured out the noise that made the bee think he was missing something and have to go toward it. So think of the rabbit, listen to community advisors, do your research, and find your tiny noise that will motivate your sleeping bee. by Jessie Towne-Cardenas

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We all know the language of teachers possesses the power to inspire or injure, to heal or humiliate. Language sets the academic and emotional climate of the room. The greater awareness of the relationship between the language of the teacher and positive learning outcomes, the greater chance we have of getting the climate just right. So, we have to ask ourselves: “Does my language optimize learning, achievement, relationships and emotional intelligence?” Among all the ways teachers communicate their intentions to students, let me focus on one specific type of language that I believe activates a student’s sense of worth and boosts confidence. That is the language of hope. A Personal Story Let me illustrate what I mean by the language of hope with a personal example. Five years ago, when my youngest daughter was in ninth grade, she was a pretty typical high school student – she found great interest in some areas, less so in others, accelerated when necessary, and coasted when possible, doing all that were asked of her, and happily said little to her parents about the daily goings-on in her high school life. One day, however, during an otherwise ordinary dinner conversation, she announced: “My science teacher thinks I should be a scientist.” Interested and probing for more context around the conversation, I followed with, “Why do you think she said that to you?” She shrugged and said, “I don’t know. She just thinks I’d be a good scientist.” End of conversation. Future-Oriented Narratives SEL Strategy But it was not the end for me, especially as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the district in which this exchange took place. That seemingly simple statement occupied my thinking for a long time. Whatever career my daughter chooses does not really matter in this story. What matters is the power of a teacher’s optimism to envision a future for a student that she could not yet see for herself. Regardless of what students will be or do, knowing their teachers believe in them and can see a future world in which they matter and will be influential matters as much, if not more so, than the curriculum we teach. An important SEL skill is the capacity to envision one’s best self. Narratives of hope are a complementary strategy to help students build their self-awareness, confidence, and sense of agency. Its power rests in its simplicity and authenticity – narratives of hope are not faint praise or platitudes. Quite the opposite. Skilled teachers use this language intentionally and at the right moment, after knowing the student well and seeing something in them that the student cannot yet see for themselves. Beyond the “I think you would make a great _____” statement itself, teachers can engage parents/guardians or connect the student with a mentor in the school or help the student explore more about the field or pursuit, and they can continue to nurture that future identity for students. The seemingly simple statement “I think you should be a scientist” crystalized for me the power of future-oriented narratives in schools and classrooms. Watching my daughter flourish in high school and embrace her academic identity in college, I can draw a straight line to that one transformational observation. The concept is generalizable to all grade levels. As educators stock their SEL toolbox with new strategies, this is one with the power to improve the emotional climate of the classroom while helping students envision a future that they cannot yet see for themselves. About the Author Peter W. Tragos is the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction at New Trier High School in Northfield, IL. Follow him on Twitter at @pwtragos!

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Clubs and Organizations Student Activities Philosophy and Mission. At Mississinewa Community schools, we believe that every student deserves the right to learn and reach his or her Full potential in a safe, nurturing, an innovative environment. We understand and appreciate the value of family involvement in students success and we are committed to bridging the gap between home and school. Review each student as a whole person with social, emotional, physical and intellectual needs. We believe it is important to meet each student at his or her level and then to foster growth and development with a variety of instructional practices. The mission of student activities programs at Mississinewa Community Schools is to empower students as lifelong learners by providing opportunities to experience robust extracurricular programs that meets the needs and diverse learners and encourages Academic excellence.

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Progress to Modernize Science Education Standards Continues as Content Team Announced May 06, 2020 Governor Tom Wolf announced the progress continues on updating Pennsylvania’s science education standards. The Department of Education (PDE) today briefed the State Board of Education and identified 60 education professionals to serve as content experts to draft the new standards. A draft of the revised benchmarks will be publicly available this fall. The state board initiated the review last year to revise the standards and align them with current research and best practices, including a review of Next Generation Science Standards. “Science is a vital part of our educational system and an integral component in a changing economy,” Governor Wolf said. “My administration has been making significant investments in science education through PAsmart, and we must modernize science standards so students have the knowledge and skills for good careers in emerging industries.” Science standards serve as the basis for curriculum development and instruction in schools. Currently, the state Board of Education regulations include two sets of standards related to science – Science and Technology and Environment and Ecology. “The Wolf administration recognizes that expanding access to computer science and STEM education is critical for preparing our students for an ever-changing workforce, and that updating science standards is an important part of this initiative,” said Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera. As part of its review, PDE held a series of 12 public meetings engaging more than 900 stakeholders earlier this year to receive feedback from educators, parents and other community members. A detailed report of all stakeholder input was compiled to inform the recommendations of the committee drafting the new standards. “Hearing directly from educators, parents and other individuals at public meetings is essential to helping the board develop new standards,” said Board Chairperson Karen Farmer White. “We look forward to receiving the recommendations from the committees as the next step in this priority project.” The department also sought volunteer content experts to serve on the committee drafting the new standards. The board today approved 60 education professionals to serve on the Content Committee and an additional 18 individuals to serve on a Steering Committee to work in tandem with the Content Committee. View a list of committee members. As part of his commitment to science and technology education, the governor launched the innovative PAsmart initiative to support K-12 computer science and STEM education, registered apprenticeships, and job training.

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« AnteriorContinuar » as some of ours. Of course, German spelling does not present the difficulties of the English. If one knows how to pronounce a word, he can usually spell it; so this saves a great deal of trouble to the teacher, and mistakes seldom occur. Spelling by sounds, or analyzing words, I have heard here very thoroughly taught. In drawing, also, the pupils are made to be very accurate. They draw with pencil and crayon, mostly with the former, but the style of the finished pictures is scarcely ever as bold and free as with the scholars of our best drawing teachers. The class invariably rise when the professor or a stranger comes into the room, and remain standing till permission is given them to be seated. I do not see, otherwise, any great difference between them and American children in school manners. The classes are never so quiet as in our schools, and the noise and whispering do not seem to trouble the teacher very much. There are in Berlin very many of what are called Kindergarten schools, to which the youngest children are sent before they are old enough to enter the larger schools. These are conducted after Froebel's plan, and only in these schools, so far, are his ideas adopted. But his intention was that the same principles which govern the management and teaching of these schools should be carried on still further into the higher ones. Pestalozzi is followed here, but one great idea of Froebel's was that the child must be taught himself to do with his hands what he sees; that he must first see and understand and afterwards do it. For their hours of recreation they have spades and rakes and hoes and wheelbarrows, and each a little garden plat, and they are taught to use all these things, to plant and care for flowers and vegetables, and to watch their growth and development. Perhaps it is hardly to be wondered at by those who know the opposition which manifested itself when it was proposed at Harvard to extend the course of study in the natural sciences, that there is considerable objection to these schools on the ground that they do not teach enough religion, and that their tendency is anti-Christian. For “religion "please read “ theology." Every school here must have a clergyman connected with it, and these clergymen are sometimes much shocked at finding that the little child of three years, whom he finds occupied in cutting a cross from paper for a birth-day gift, is not able to tell him of what the cross is a symbol, and persists in declaring simply that it is for a book-mark and is intended “for mamma." This seems, to say the least, unreasonable, but in a state where religion must form a part of the regular study of every school, and where it stands on the same ground as arithmetic or geography, with the only difference that the hour devoted to religion is more tiresome than perhaps any other, it can hardly be wondered at. To an American it seems as if everything was fettered here, and as if the people must chafe continually like a high-spirited horse with a cruel curb continually irritating him. It seems as if they were allowed no liberty of thought, even on those subjects on which no one should dare to come between the soul and its Maker, and one understands readily how the girls who are thus trained from earliest childhood, never throw off the mental clothing which has been so closely fitted to them, while the boys, in withdrawing themselves eventually from parental restraint, shake off at the same time all restraint, and cast aside as fables and idle tales the doctrines which have been so tirelessly taught to them in their childhood. All these regulations are for the safety of the kingdom and the king; but one continually wonders—and especially now when we can almost hear the roar of the cannon which may throw all central Europe into a fearful struggle, and entirely change the condition of Germany, how long this will last, how long it will be before all the misery and suffering which lies concealed behind the splendor of royalty will come forth and claim its right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I cannot close without speaking of a Geography on which Mr. Theodore S. Fay, for so many years our minister to Switzerland, has been engaged for some twenty years. Mr. Fay leaves Europe for America early in July to publish the book and to make an effort to introduce it into our American Schools, so that you will soon have an opportunity of judging as to its merits. I have seen the maps which are to accompany it, and which have been most carefully corrected and approved by the best geographical authorities here, and can most sincerely say that they are the most perfect and thorough I have ever seen. No labor or expense has been spared in their preparation and correction, and when they are pub lished they will be as exactly correct, even to the smallest particulars, as the knowledge of man can make them. They contain many new features with regard to mathematical geography, as to length of days, change of seasons, &c., of which every teacher will be glad to avail himself; and the “voyage map," as it is called, on Mercator's projection, is destined to be a source of endless pleasure and profit to both teacher and pupil. The text which accompanies the maps is most carefully and thoroughly prepared. I am certain that the excellences of the book must commend it to every teacher. It will save an incalculable amount of labor and trouble, and fix all the details of geographical knowledge so firmly that the child will no longer need a map for reference because he has the knowledge in his mind. I shall impatiently wait for its publication, knowing, as none but those who have taught geography can know, how much time and patience it will save; and I am sure that all American teachers will give it a hearty welcome as a help in a direction where so much help is needed. A. C. B. ON TEACHING GEOMETRY. My method may not be new to all, but it may suggest something new to a few. It has been wrought out during several years of teaching, and every part has been thoroughly tested. The results of the trial in my own classes, composed of girls sixteen years of age and upwards, are far superior to any I could obtain by the use of old methods. It is always hard to make new plans, - plans in which we have confidence. There must be time to try many methods, to digest the results of experience, and to rearrange material. And since I know how much more may be done provided one has a good plan in the beginning, I venture to speak of my method, for the sake of those whom I can help, though it may contain nothing new to many of my readers. The evidence that there are those who need help accumulates with every new class that comes to me for instruction. I find many who have studied the subject before, but in such a way that the memory alone has been exercised, and that to a merciless degree. A theorem is demonstrated as a list of prepositions might be repeated. Certain words in a certain order, are learned mechanically. There is no understanding between the mind and the eye as to the figure upon the board, except so far as the letters, placed in exactly the same order as they were learned in the book, aid in recalling the words. Change the letters, turn the figure upside down, or ask for any particular step in the reasoning and the recitation is stopped. That Geometry has anything to do with reasoning, or is a discipline for any faculty except memory, has in many cases never occurred to the scholar. It is a hard thing to say, but its truth has been proved. • With my first class I experimented, trying to ascertain what had been the exact method by which they had been taught. I changed the position of the figures, changed letters, asked questions which showed the class there were such things as relations between facts, that one thing followed from another, and I found that they had no conception of the nature of the subject. For that term, I allowed them to go on, demonstrating with the aid of the figures, and labored to teach them to reason. The disgust with which they soon regarded the old ways, and the pleasure which they felt when they could put two things together, and see the relation, and how a third grew out of a combination of those two, amply repaid me for the work. But the results in all cases were not quite satisfactory. With the next class, I varied the method somewhat. After going over the first book for instance, using the figures, sometimes with letters, or the Arabic signs, and sometimes nothing but such words as were appropriate, the class reviewed, demonstrating every theorem without a figure. I required that it should be done so fully and carefully that a person listening should not feel the need of a figure. Take Prop. XIX., Book I, of Davies' Legendre:- If two straight lines meet a third line, making the sum of the interior angles on the same side of the line met, equal to two right angles, the two lines will be parallel. Through the middle of the secant line draw a line, perpendicular to the lower given line, and prolong it till it meets the upper given line, thus forming two triangles. By Prop. I., the angles formed by the secant line and upper line are equal to two right angles. By hypothesis, the two interior angles on the same side of the secant are equal to two right angles. By axiom 1, these two sets of angles are equal to each other. By axiom 3, taking away the common angle, the remaining angles are equal. These angles are corresponding angles of the triangles. The angles of the triangles, formed by the secant and the proof line are equal, because they are vertical. By construction, the sides which are parts of the secant are equal. By Prop. VI., the triangles are equal. By construction, the angle formed by the proof line and the lower line is a right angle. Its corresponding equal angle must then be a right angle. Therefore the proof line is perpendicular to the upper line, and conversely, the upper line is perpendicular to the proof line. By Prop. VIII., the two given lines are parallel. When a scholar can give a demonstration like that, she knows it; she can commence in the middle as well as at the beginning; she can tell you the reason for every step; and with all this exercise in reasoning, she has the benefit of the thought necessary to put it all in concise, clear language. The lesson proves to be one in many things. Accuracy in habits of thought is to be one of the results of the study of mathematics. The reasoning must be accurate, that the conclusion may be correct. Carrying out the principle, the language should be accurately used, and the order of the parts of a demonstration accurately observed. It has been my practice to give first the theorem in general terms, then the application to the figure in question (when using figures), making that application in the exact words of the theorem. I would banish the word "let" entirely. Thus, applying Theorem I. Book I., “ If the straight line A B meet the straight line C D, the sum of the two angles A B C and A B D will equal two right angles." The theorem is the general statement, the application the particular. Why should we say, “ Lct the straight line A B meet the straight line C D, &c.”? It seems a trifle, but as part of a system it becomes important. Next comes the preparation of the figure for proof, all proof lines dotted, and lastly, the proof itself. The method of demonstration without figure develops the power to reason upon each separate theorem. The facts of Geometry are thus learned in detail. The next step is to group these facts

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What if improving academic performance in some of the nation’s most disadvantaged and lowest-achieving schools was as easy as planting trees in the schoolyard? It’s not that simple, of course, but a new study from the University of Illinois suggests school greening could be part of the solution. The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology and led by Ming Kuo from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at U of I, investigated the link between greenness and academic achievement in 318 of Chicago’s public elementary schools. The district serves a predominantly low-income minority population, with 87 percent of third-graders qualifying for free lunch during the study year (2009-2010). Previous studies have documented a positive relationship between greenness and academic achievement, but, until now, no one had examined the relationship in high-poverty schools. “The goal was to see if the greenness-academic achievement relationship holds for poor, urban schools because that’s where it matters. That’s where educators and policy makers are desperately trying to find ways to help kids reach their potential,” Kuo says. The research team used high-resolution aerial imagery to quantify tree and grass cover in each schoolyard and its surrounding neighborhood, an improvement over previous studies that relied on coarse-grain vegetation imagery. “The older technology could basically tell us whether a 30-meter square was blacktop or green space, but the technology we’re using can tell us there’s a tree here, and a foot over, there’s grass,” Kuo explains. The first step was to use a simple correlation analysis to identify relationships between tree and grass cover and academic performance, based on standardized test scores for math and reading. Schoolyard tree cover predicted academic performance, both for reading and math: the more trees, the better the performance. The same pattern showed up for trees in the adjacent neighborhood, but to a lesser extent. Grass, it turns out, does nothing for learning. “There are consistent hints throughout the history of studying the effects of greenness on people that trees matter more than grass,” Kuo says. “So this finding was not a big surprise.” The simple correlation tests helped the researchers evaluate the importance of other factors that could be related to academic performance: number of students in a classroom, student/teacher and gender ratios, and the percent of students that were bilingual. None of these showed strong ties to academic performance. But one other factor — disadvantage — did. The researchers knew that race and socioeconomic status are strongly tied to academic achievement, and that they are strongly correlated with one another. Using innovative statistical techniques to simultaneously account for both factors, the team combined them into one they called disadvantage. After discovering that disadvantage strongly predicted low academic achievement in the correlation tests, the researchers included the factor in a more sophisticated analysis that accounted for disparities related to geography within the city. That test confirmed that schoolyard trees positively predicted math scores. Reading scores tended to be better with more schoolyard trees, but the effect fell just short of statistical significance. At almost 90 percent free-lunch eligible and only 10 percent white, schools in the Chicago Public School system are, on the whole, disadvantaged. But there were differences: The most disadvantaged schools in the sample had roughly half the number of trees as the least disadvantaged schools. While Kuo is quick to point out that the study is purely correlational — it wasn’t designed to show cause-and-effect — she is optimistic about the results. “Early math skills are one of the best predictors of later success, not just in math, but in school in general. So what we have here is a very exciting clue that maybe simply greening — planting trees in school yards — could potentially have a significant impact in math achievement and school success down the line for these kids. And you don’t have to plaster the schoolyard with trees — just bringing schools up to average looks like it could have a substantial effect.” Kuo has spent her career quantifying the effects of nature on human health and behavior, but she understands people have a hard time accepting just how necessary nature is to the human experience. “What I really want to do is figure out what helps for these schools. If trees didn’t work, then I would not want people spending money on trees. I want the money to be spent where it will make a difference. The outcome matters to me. “As a society, we have not bothered to green our poorest, low-income minority schools. It might just seem like, well, that’s too bad, it would be nice for poor kids to have nice schools, but we can’t afford it,” she says. “The larger body of research is suggesting that, in fact, some of the reason for the disparities we see in low-income schools versus more affluent schools may actually be due, in part, to the physical facilities we’re providing. It’s not a surprise to anyone that if you don’t provide air conditioning or heating in a school then maybe the kids aren’t going to do as well. But this is the first time we’ve begun to suspect that the lack of landscaping, such as trees, may help explain, in part, their poorer test scores.”

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Designed to provide exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math (STEAM), develop self-esteem, provide an outlet for creative expression, self-expression, and make meaningful connections in the community through an open display of our projects. The eSTEAM Club meets weekly on Saturdays to learn and work on projects that usually take 6-8 weeks to complete based on a customized age appropriate student centered PBL curriculum. Students meet at the local Bradley Recreation Center from 11am-3pm year-round. |Resources:||Academic enrichment (academic classes, tutoring, testing, etc.)| |Location:||1200 Modena Street. Gastonia, NC| Local resource listings are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by TheHomeSchoolMom. (See full terms)

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Corrective-compensatory classes are organised for pupils who are diagnosed with unique learning problems making them unable to achieve the knowledge and skills corresponding with the programme for the given grade. Classes are conducted by teachers with pedagogical therapy training.The number of participants is between 2 and 5. Act of 7 September 1991 on the Education System Place of publication: (Dz. U. z 2021 r. poz. 1915)

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Welcome to High Cross Primary School's ALN Page. Below you will find information and links to videos to support you in finding out about ALN. High Cross Primary School is an inclusive school where all staff are committed to the success of each and every pupil. All children are valued, respected and welcomed to our school, whatever their additional educational needs may be. We support children’s learning and aim to ensure they are fully included in all school activities. Our Additional Learning Needs Policy gives information to parents & carers, teachers and Governors about the way individual pupils can be helped. ALN at High Cross Primary School Here are some very helpful documents and videos to give you further insight into ALN and what we do as a school to support your child through their ALN journey. Click here Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Transformation ALN Transformation information for parents - guide Websites and Resources Here are a list of websites and resources that have been put together to help support pupils with ALN. Most of these are also suitable for all pupils. Click here. Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Information leaflets for Parents and Carers Implementations of the ALN System - Click here Your child and the ALN Act - Leaflet 1 Dispute resolution (Newport LA) - Leaflet 2 About Me Independent Advocacy Support - Leaflet 3 PCP Guide for Parents and Carers - Leaflet 4 PCP and IDP Secondary - Leaflet 5a PCP and IDP Early Years - Leaflet 5b PCP and IDP Primary - Leaflet 5c Right to request LA reconsider IDP - Leaflet 6 Right to appeal to Tribunal - Leaflet 7

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The ECAC identifies six levers for change as critical for strengthening the early childhood system and providing an infrastructure to support the grounding of this work in social justice, removing barriers to access services, and facilitating equitable child outcomes. The levers are: 1) Family Engagement 3) Quality Improvement and Assurance 4) Workforce Development 6) Research and Evaluation With the young child and family as the focus these levers guide the work of the ECAC across four essential elements 1) Providers and Practitioners; 2) Comprehensive Health, Community, and Education Services; 3) Standards, Regulations and Statutes; and, 4) Policy and Governance. These levers and elements are intertwined and their alignment is necessary in order to support families’ access to the equitable, comprehensive, and culturally relevant services, thereby ensuring healthy development. With Connie Prickett, Vice President of Communications & Strategic Initiatives Vice President of Communications & Strategic Initiatives With Meredith Chimento, Executive Director of the Early Care & Learning Council (ECLC) & Kristen Kerr, Executive Director of the NY Association for the Education of Young Children (NYAEYC)

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Proximity interpreting: Day-to-day policing and delivering access for deaf citizens. Skinner, R. May 2018. policing insight.com. Proximity interpreting: day-to-day policing and delivering access for deaf citizens. Skinner, R. February 2018. Scottish Institute for Policing Research. https://blog.dundee.ac.uk/sipr/2018/02/proximity-interpreting-day-to-day-policing-and-delivering-access-for-deaf-citizens/ Multilingual Policing: International Trends and Issues Boser, U., Monteoliva, E., Napier, J., Skinner, R. & Strani, K., May 2017, Scottish Institute for Policing Research : Annual Report 2016. Scottish Institute for Policing Research, p. 64-65 2 p. Poster presentation at: - Scottish International Policing Conference: Policing: localism in a globalising world, 10th November 2016. - Symposium on Signed Language Interpretation and Translation Research March 31 – April 2, 2017 (USA). - British Society Criminology – Forging Social Justice: Local Challenges, Global Complexities. 4-7th July 2017, Sheffield. 4. Scottish Graduate School of Social Science finalist at the Research Impact & Knowledge Exchange Competition 2018 14th May 2018 5. World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) conference, Paris 18th-19th July 2019. Presentations (Abstract submission) - IPCITI 2017 – 13th International Postgraduate Conference in Translation and Interpreting at Heriot-Watt University Centre for Translation and Interpreting Studies in Scotland. Translation and Interpreting Technologies: a blessing or a curse? New directions in Translation and Interpreting Studies. 9-10 November 2017. IPCITI 2017 Abstract ANNON - Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) Postgraduate conference, Edinburgh 15th Dec 2017. SIPR 2017 Abstract ANNON

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2003 MARC Conference Validity and Accommodations: Psychometric and Policy Perspectives August 4 and 5, 2003 University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland A conference hosted by the Department of Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation and the Center for the Study of Assessment Validity and Evaluation, University of Maryland. Supported by the Maryland State Department of Education. Organized by Dr. Rebecca J. Kopriva, Dr. David E. Wiley, Dr. Phoebe C. Winter, and Dr. Robert Lissitz, Department Chair, University of Maryland. Dissatisfaction with the validity of test results for an increasingly diverse population of test takers has led to the widespread use of testing accommodations. These accommodations adjust testing conditions with the goal of increased validity of scores for accommodated test takers. Major questions about testing accommodations are - What are the effects of testing accommodations, in general, and of specific accommodations, in particular, on score validity? - Since accommodations are assigned to test takers, are the assignments appropriate, in the sense that other assignments or other accommodations would not improve score validity more? - Are scores resulting from accommodated testing comparable to other scores? If so, in what sense and to what degree? State and district experts in psychometrics, measurement systems, English language learners, and students with disabilities will pose these questions and others to the conference presenters. It is anticipated that conference presentations will include discussions about: - New psychometric models and concepts addressing the validity and comparability of accommodated and non-accommodated scores. - New approaches to assigning test takers to accommodations. - Legal and policy foundations of accommodation theory and practice. - Methods for evaluating the validity of accommodated scores. - Accommodations in test design and construction: building accessibility into the development of tests. Edward Haertel, Stanford University, and David E. Wiley, University of Maryland Comparability Issues when Scores are Produced under Varying Testing Conditions. Robert Mislevy, University of Maryland A Structural Perspective on Accommodations and Validity Arguments Eva Baker, UCLA, Director of CRESST The Push-Pull of Policy and Technology in Accommodations Design and Interpretation Mark Reckase, Michigan State University Some Hints about the Validity of Inferences from Accommodated Tests from the Study of Tests in Multiple Languages Administered in Multiple Cultures Guillermo Solano-Flores, American Institutes for Research Examining the Dependability of Performance Measures for English Language Learners Martha Thurlow, University of Minnesota Policy Pushing Practice: Steps Forward in Addressing Testing Accommodation Gerald Tindal, University of Oregon Test Accommodations Research: Decision-making, Outcomes, and Designs Rebecca J. Kopriva and Phoebe C. Winter, University of Maryland Designing and Modeling Test Item Schemes to Preserve Construct Validity of Test Scores across Students Arthur Coleman, Nixon Peabody LLP Legal Foundations for Good Educational Policy Decisions: Understanding How Multiple Federal Laws Guide Accommodations Decisions Affecting Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners

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Last week Stephanie Taylor attended the School’s conference for PhD students. Academic study implies a trajectory. First you study one module, then another, until eventually you’ve completed a qualification – probably a BA or BSc. At that point, most people have fulfilled their study goals. However it’s possible that you want to obtain a higher qualification or perhaps you just like studying. If so, you might go on to do a postgraduate degree, like a Masters. Again, this is a natural stopping point but a few people will decide to do more study and register for a ‘research degree’ like a PhD. ‘PhD’ is an abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy but the title is rather misleading because the research can be in any academic area, including psychology. Doing a PhD is less like a next step than a whole new life project, usually connected to an academic career. On the 17thof July, some of the PhD students in the School of Psychology and Counselling met for their annual conference. The students include current members of the Open University staff and they were joined by other academics from the School. The topic for the day was ‘“What I have learnt this year”: Reflecting on the process and method of research’. The aim was to talk about some of the realities of psychology research, including the insights and problems that only emerge when you’re actually working on a project. Of course all psychology students learn aboutresearch – about literature reviews and project design; ethics and informed consent; data collection and then the analysis of data to produce findings. However, the conference unpicked some finer details and more complex issues. Here are some examples. - A literature review leads the researcher to reconsider their initial concepts, and then to rethink the whole project and research question, almost amounting to starting again. - The researcher finds that the political situation they’re studying is changing faster than they can make plans to investigate it. - A research topic turns out to concern everybody, leaving the researcher unsure about the basis for selecting the sample of participants. - A research topic is so sensitive that the participants reject all the available terminology for describing it, because every alternative is offensive to someone. - Running a focus group becomes a worrying prospect because opinions on the topic turn out to be so polarised that the participants will almost certainly disagree vehemently. - A participant gives consent to be interviewed but then ‘doesn’t play’, arriving for the interview as arranged but challenging the researcher’s competence and the whole project and refusing to answer any of the questions. Each situation was discussed at length, referring to the experience of everyone attending. The day confirmed that research planning is necessary but research practice also requires skills that are only gradually acquired. The conference was an opportunity to consider problems that hadn’t been planned for and questions that had no straightforward answers. One of the OU’s senior professors used to say that after completing a PhD, the student would be able to see how the project could have been conducted more smoothly. But, he went on, that retrospective insight is irrelevant; the point of conducting original research is, by definition, to do something that hasn’t been attempted before, so there will always be new problems for which you’ll need to find new solutions. And that was what the conference was about!

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Teaching should be held in high esteem: What other profession prepares the future leaders and workforce of America?” Camden Hanzlick-Burton’s pivotal moment came when, as a senior in high school, he took Advanced Placement (AP) biology. His teacher, a 40-year veteran of the school, “allowed us to work on challenging, inquiry-based labs and relied on our ability to solve it scientifically. It was the first time I felt like I had done real science.” Camden decided to pursue biology in college and, eventually, to become that teacher who inspires students. At the University of Kansas, Camden had the opportunity to conduct scientific research and teach at several levels of the K-12 system. “I’ve developed as a person and an educator whose primary goal is to inspire students to be critical thinkers and inquisitive lifelong learners.” Camden is a 2012 Kansas Teacher of Promise and two-time recipient of the AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) STEM teacher’s scholarship. As a member of an improvisational troupe, he performed on the stage through high school and college. Camden’s longest theatrical experience was as a member of “OUTRAGE: A journey through teen dating violence and sexual assault,” a play aimed at informing the community about dating violence, sexual assault and healthy relationships. Camden earned a BS in biology and his teaching credential from the University of Kansas and is beginning his career in his native state as a freshman biology teacher at Olathe Northwest High School, a public school of nearly 2,000 students. “A teacher in a large public school has the responsibility of reaching a wide diversity of students and doing their best to create an equitable classroom where everyone can learn.” Knowles Academy Courses Taught

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Connecting With Classmates Before School Starts A 4th-year student's tips to kickstart connections with future classmates before September. Article written by Western University political science graduate and incoming Western Law student, Maddie Hill. A new chapter As if starting a new academic program, oftentimes in a new city, isn't overwhelming enough, university often means surrounding yourself with new people. While it can be exciting and fresh, it can also be nerve-wracking. If you're starting a new post-secondary experience this fall, I'm right there with you. However, things are a little different for me this time around. I've already been through one major post-secondary transition, as in 2019 I moved to London, Ontario to pursue my undergraduate degree at Western University. Since then, I've spent the past few years in a variety of positions that centralize around supporting high school students with their transition to university life. I'd like to say I'm somewhat qualified to provide some helpful insights on ways you can connect with future classmates before school starts. Join class Facebook pages One of the easiest ways to connect with your future classmates is through class Facebook pages. When I was offered admission to Western, there were university-run Facebook groups I could join. There were staff members and current students in the groups to answer questions. A lot of people will make introductory posts about themselves in these groups: don't be afraid to comment on someone else's post if you have something in common with them! These groups are often a jumping-off place for other group chats to form. People may form groups that are exclusively for students in a specific program or residence. You can also try and find a roommate through these group chats! If you don't have a Facebook account before post-secondary, I would recommend creating one. In my experience, many on-campus student groups tend to use Facebook/Messenger to communicate. Attend school events Schools often run events to prepare students for their transition. If you can, try to attend these events! Before my undergrad, I attended Summer Academic Orientation (SAO). During this event, I met with an advisor to go over course selection and participated in information sessions with other incoming students. In the fall, I ran into one of the students from my SAO group on campus! Community Connections is another program run by Western to welcome incoming students to campus before school starts. I've worked with this program in the past and, while it wasn't around when I was entering undergrad, I've seen the ways that it can facilitate connections. You can meet other students, get a feel for campus, and even spend the night in residence! Talk to current students You can establish a sense of connection on campus by talking to upper-year students. These people "know the ropes" and can give you advice that helps ease your transition. If you don't know anyone who attends the school you are interested in, many schools have student ambassador programs that you can reach out to. Through these programs, you can message current students about their experiences. I'm a student ambassador at Western University and love talking to incoming students. If your school doesn't offer an ambassador program, check out LinkedIn to connect with current students... I promise we're nice and want to help! If you don't feel comfortable reaching out to current students: at Western, you can read our Unibuddy and Thrive Online blogs to hear from them! See you in September! While it can be nice to get a head-start on your social game throughout the summer, don't get nervous if you haven't connected with your peers yet. Additionally, don't think that you're missing out if you're uncomfortable reaching out to other students online. I promise, come the fall, you'll have plenty of opportunities to meet new people. You'll end up meeting some of your best friends — whether that be online before school starts or on-campus someday. Learn more about the Western community

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Categories Grade 6-8 Grade 9-12 Residential Schools Residential School Lesson Plans Grade 8-12 Post author By FNER Post date October 8, 2013 No Comments on Residential School Lesson Plans Grade 8-12 Credit: Wikipedia Residential School Lesson 1 download pdf Residential School Lesson 2 download pdf IRS Colonialism, History and Impacts download PowerPoint SOURCE: Central Okanagan School District Rate this:Share this:TweetPrintEmailLike this:Like Loading... Tags Grade 8-12 Residential Schools Lesson Plans ← An Introduction to Residential School unit K-7 → Residential Schools – 100 Years of Loss Timeline – PDF Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here... Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: Email (required) (Address never made public) Name (required) Website You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change ) Cancel Connecting to %s Notify me of new comments via email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

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Protocols for Leading Effective, Purpose-Driven Discussions in Schools Learn how you can lead highly productive, structured discussions in your school or district with Meeting Goals. Add this eBook to your credit card purchase and gain immediate access. eBooks are available on desktop, Android, and iOS via Adobe Digital Editions. eBook purchases are limited to one eBook per title, per account. Please visit the eBook FAQ for more information. When used effectively, discussion protocols have the power to help educators cultivate highly impactful, collaborative spaces. Learn how you can lead structured and productive discussions in your own learning community with Meeting Goals. The author provides scaffolds for frequently used protocols as well as examples of protocol application. Both new and veteran educators can rely on this resource to help them facilitate constructive meetings and, as a group, catalyze great work. - Improve your group facilitation skills and expertise. - Enhance instructional coaching and feedback for teachers and teacher groups through meaningful protocols. - Study detailed instructions and scaffolds for specific protocols to meet clear, desired outcomes of collaboration. - Experience more moments of connection and transformation in groups with effective leadership and a purpose-driven agenda. - Examine specific language, practical situations, and clarifying questions for implementing discussion protocols. Product Code: BKF986, EKF549 Published By: Solution Tree "Using metaphor, humor, and a deep belief in the power of collaborative professional work, Thomas Van Soelen pulls back the curtain on highly effective facilitation. Chock-full of value for facilitators of all experience levels, Meeting Goals is sure to become a foundational text for meeting facilitators and professional developers alike." "Van Soelen provides fresh insights, sound advice, and practical strategies for leading impactful discussions based on his wealth of experience in utilizing protocols in schools. This is an important resource for any educator who aspires to focus teachers' collaborations on instructional improvement for the ultimate purpose of improving outcomes for all students." "This important book takes readers under the hood of education’s most powerful conversation protocols and demystifies the component parts, allowing readers to more capably and confidently match or modify a protocol for the dilemmas and daily work in front of them. With this book, educators will be able to skillfully facilitate the critical conversations our students need us to be having in today's schools."

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Growth Trends for Related Jobs Promotion Requirements in the Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve is part of the Reserved Forces. They provide trained units and qualified personnel who are ready for active duty in the Air Force in time of war or national emergency, or whenever the national security is in jeopardy. An Air Force Reservist is eligible for promotion. However, he must meet specific criteria before he is recommended as eligible for promotion. Recommendation for Promotion The first step to a successful promotion within the Air Force Reserve is by recommendation of your immediate commander. The goal of the Air Force is to promote officers using a just and reasonable competitive selection system. You will have to prove yourself, based on past performance and future potential, so that you can move forward. To be eligible for promotion within the United States Air Force you must meet a variety of certain criteria such as completing basic training, participation and weight requirements. Individuals must also meet the Air Force's Unit Vacancy Promotion criteria or be deemed an individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMAs). You must also meet all the basic requirements of the Unit Vacancy Promotion criteria and prove that you have been adequately involved in both your fiscal year and Retention/Retirement (R/R) year. Reservists are required to attain appropriate skill level for their grade. Also, they must meet the minimum time in grade/time-in-service and continue to further their professional military education (PME) To qualify for an extended promotion you must complete all the same requirements necessary for a promotion within the Air Force Reserve. However, there is an additional requirement that extends the satisfactory service requirement to 16 years. Promotion Enhancement Program (PEP) Promotion Enhancement Program allows merit-worthy and exceptional Air Force Reserve members to move one grade above the authorized grade for that specific position. These promotions are determined by your established ability to serve in the next higher grade. To qualify for this promotion you must meet all the eligibility requirements previously stated except being in a higher graded position. Promotion within the Air Force Reserve is mandatory because Congress sets the size for the active duty branch of the service and the percentage that is allowed to rise to the next pay grade. This formula makes it necessary and mandatory for annual promotions. Although you may be eligible for a promotion; there may be prior existing conditions that may withhold your promotion. Your name may be removed from the eligibility list because all requirements have not been met. If you are the subject of an inquiry or investigation that may result in action under UCMJ or prosecution by civil authorities, your promotion will be withheld. To avoid ineligibility for promotion, make sure that all requirements are completed and current. Shannon Johnson has been a freelance writer since 2008, specializing in health and organic and green-living topics. She practiced law for five years before moving on to work in higher education. She writes about what she lives on a daily basis.

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British Values Statement At Broseley, we value and celebrate being part of Britain. This means that we celebrate traditions and customs in the course of the year; for example, Harvest Festival during the autumn term and Christmas celebrations. We also value and celebrate national events, e.g. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Further, children learn about being part of Britain from different perspectives. They learn where Britain is in relation to the rest of Europe and other countries in the world and about significant events in British history such as ‘The Great Fire of London’ and key historical figures. Promoting British values at Broseley Primary School The Department for Education’s five-part definition of British values is as follows: - the rule of law - individual liberty - mutual respect - tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs At Broseley Primary, pupils will encounter these principles throughout everyday school life. Children at Broseley Primary have the opportunity for their voice to be heard through our school council which meets regularly to discuss issues raised within the school. They are elected by their class peers and are involved in making the school a better place to learn. The council is able to genuinely effect change within the school and gives our children a better understanding of democracy. The Rule of Law At Broseley Primary we promote the rule of law by:- - Having a clear, consistent behaviour policy (SMART code) which is consistently applied throughout the school. - Providing opportunities for children to reflect about positive and negative behaviour. - Road Safety and awareness is taught throughout the curriculum - Addressing issues of law during whole-school assemblies as and when appropriate. - Encouraging visits from external agencies to talk to the children in school. - Using celebration assemblies to acknowledge good behaviour as well as good academic work. Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. - Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices at our school, knowing that they are within a safe and supportive environment. - Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-Safety and PHSE lessons. - Children are encouraged to understand responsibility in school in terms of behaviour and attitude to learning. - Pupils are taught how to be safe and how to act safely. This is given an additional emphasis during anti-bullying week. - We offer a range of lunchtime clubs which pupils have the freedom to choose from, based on their interests and needs. Mutual respect is at the core of our school life. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community are taught to treat each other with respect. At Broseley, children learn respect through: - The promotion of positive relationships. - The modelling of positive relationships by all adults working in school. - All aspects of the curriculum, in particular the R.E and Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum (as successfully working in groups requires respect for each other). - The work of the school council. - The positive reward system developed to promote respect. - Our celebration assemblies when all pupils show respect for the efforts of others. - Participation in events organised to raise money for various charities which are chosen and voted on by the school council. E.g.Raising money for Zac, Red Nose Day for Comic Relief etc. - Learning to live with their peers on educational residential visits. Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs We put a large emphasis on promoting diversity as this is particularly relevant for the children at Broseley Primary School where we do not have a range of different faiths. Tolerance is promoted in our school through: - Our stated aims and values. - Assemblies which are regularly planned to include stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. E.g. Diwali. - Our RE, PSHE and MFL curriculum. - Educational visits to places of religious worship. Eg. Mosque in Telford - The school’s equal opportunities policy. - Members of different faiths or religions are invited to share their knowledge of their culture and beliefs with the children. (Eg. Leading figures in the Sikh community - Using world events as opportunities to positively reinforce life and culture in other countries (football world cup, the Olympics, etc.). We believe that tolerance is gained through knowledge and understanding. Through our curriculum and the routines of our daily school life, we strive to demonstrate tolerance and help children to become knowledgeable and understanding citizens. As well as actively promoting British Values, the opposite applies; we would actively challenge pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist’ views.

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The College of Professional Education (COPE) at Texas Woman’s University has been selected to participate in the Holmes Program, sponsored by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). It aims to support women and people of color who are working towards a graduate degree in education. “We know that there is a lack of diversity in teachers and also a lack of diversity in leaders that hold higher ed positions of power,” Associate Dean for Education Preparation Gina Anderson said. “This program was brought about to help further that goal.” The candidates participating in the program include Phyliciá Anderson (reading education), Nicole Hall (child development and early education), Kimberly Lawson (reading education), Kiana Moore (child development and early education) and Marilyn Roberts (special education). They are required by COPE to commit for three consecutive years with plans to pursue a career as a researcher, faculty member, public policy expert or a leadership role in education. “I was very grateful, honored and surprised,” Lawson said. “It’s my first scholarship outside of high school.” TWU is the only women-centric university to participate in the Holmes Program. The program was founded in 1991, and it provides professional development opportunities, mentorship and peer support for doctoral students. “It’s so exciting,” Anderson said. “I think it really helps us showcase exactly how unique we are here at TWU and that we have such a unique mission.” The Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership will provide additional funding to the program. The AACTE does not provide funding, so the program has to make sure they are able to fund what they need through other ways, Anderson said. “We were very lucky to secure funding through the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership,” Anderson said. “That is going to help fund some leadership boot camps, supplies and registration to events. It’s going to be able to support them with that funding. It would be very difficult to do without funding.” Anderson said she knows the program will be rewarding for the candidates and that she is excited to be in a mentoring relationship and to learn from them. “I’m looking forward to developing relationships with these five candidates,” Anderson said. “I see this as being a way that we will learn from each other, but just to also be able to share this journey with them and feel so happy for them when they are successful.” Laura Pearson can be reached via email at [email protected].

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As a college student in her fourth and final year, I have taken time to look back on my time at Mount Aloysius College and recognize the personal growth in which I have made. Nothing is harder than leaving home as a high school graduate and throwing yourself into an entirely new life in college where you’re on your own and in an atmosphere very different from that which you are used to. Nothing is harder than having to leave your friends and family and essentially start over. Nothing is harder than taking on all the responsibilities that are harder than anything you’ve ever experienced. However, even though it is a hard adaption, going to college is a blessing and it teaches you many things that most of the time have nothing to do with what you are learning in the classroom. The vast majority of the lessons you learn occur through social life on campus where you learn more about yourself than you ever knew before. Here are some of the life lessons that I learned through my college experience so far: A lot of times, coming to school is the first time that you have to live on your own. You have to cook for yourself, clean up after yourself, buy your own groceries, do your own laundry, pay your own bills, and much more. Sometimes this transition can be hard for most, however, learning to be independent and being able to make your own decisions is something amazing. You get to be your own person, wear what you want, do what you want, and just have the freedom that you have always wanted to have. Your Plans/Goals Will Change As a freshman, you come in with big goals that you want to accomplish. You have expectations for how your college experience will go, and you want to get out the most from college that you possibly can. However, you must remember that as you go through college, you’re going to change as a person and naturally your goals and expectations will change along with it. You have to understand that this is normal and that there is nothing to panic about. Everything will fall into place how it is supposed to. Just trust the process. Being at school away from home gives you a lot of time to get involved in things on campus that you didn’t have time for when you were younger. Our campus offers a lot of different kinds of clubs, activity nights, and events to attend that helps relieve stress and have fun when you’re not in class. This time to get involved is important. It will help shape you as a person, and it will help you figure out what you like to do in your free time. In addition, it will help you make friends and get to know people on campus that help your next few years run even more smoothly for you. Invest Time in Forever Friends College is a time that you get to meet people who become some of your closest friends. You live together, spend everyday together, plan fun days with each other, and miss each other when your apart for breaks. You make friends who understand exactly what you’re going through. You make friends that help you through the toughest times you’ll experience in school, but most importantly, they stick by your side for the rest of your life and become the forever friends that you always knew you would find someday. Most of the time students are so focused on the future and school work and life lessons they are being taught that they get caught up and forget about another important aspect of life at college; having fun and enjoying yourself. The four years you’re at college for your undergrad will be some of the best days of your life, and you have to take that time to hangout with your friends, plan day trips to do fun things, and just do what makes you happy. You have to have a good balance to be successful. Trust me, having fun is a huge part of the college experience. Not everything you learn has to be from a textbook, from a teacher, or in anyway remotely close to a classroom setting. Quite honestly, a lot of what I have learned about myself has come from my personal experiences in college involving social life, responsibilities, and much more. As you can see, interacting on campus with activities and the people around you can teach you a lot that you didn’t know before and some of that can be used throughout the rest of your life as you move on into the future. Don’t be afraid of what the future holds, it will all work out in the end. For now, just make memories with your friends and have fun.

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Do Your Homework There’s a lot to learn when it comes to parenthood. Finding a “niche”, as it were, is easier if you look into things prior the child’s birth. You’ve got nine months to prepare, and many professional environments offer maternity leave. Ideally, you should spend the first three years of your child’s life being closely attentive to them; this is when they need you most. Realistically, that may not be possible. However, if you do your homework in advance, learn what you’re in for, figure out associated costs, get yourself tools and support resources, and such preparatory acts, you’ll be able to nurture your child more effectively. Following we’ll look at five things worth taking into consideration in that regard. Follow the Advice of Friends and Family You’ve got friends who have had children since you knew them in high school. They made mistakes, but learned as well, and know what you should watch for. You don’t have to take all their advice, but listening can’t hurt, and they’ll probably save you from yourself in more ways than one. The same is true as regards family. Get a Support Network A parental support network gives you a community you can lean on when you’ve got questions, when difficult situations develop, and when you need help finding varying things like medical solutions or childcare. Beyond friends, family, and your spouse, it’s important to have access to parental support networks. Explore Lactation Consultation Breastfeeding doesn’t always go as planned. Sometimes you’ve got a clogged milk duct, sometimes the act of nursing is so uncomfortable you have problems doing it; the list goes on. For every issue from finding a more effective breastfeeding latch to the diet which helps you produce milk is explored through lactation consultants. You might want to find one. Make Technology Work For You Internet of Things (IoT) baby monitors have visual, audiological, and biometric data which you can access wherever you’re at with your smartphone. Such options also facilitate decentralized occupational solutions. Find new tech you can use to ease your burden as a mom. Examine Your Budget Stop eating out, make coffee at home, walk or ride bikes, carpool, end subscriptions, and find whatever you can cut from your budget, then cut it. Examine your finances carefully and optimize them. This frees up resources and heightens your capabilities as a mom. Freeing Yourself Up to Mother More Effectively When you get the advice of friends and family, you avoid hidden parental “land mines” you might not even have known to watch for otherwise. Support networks also give you advice, and emergency options when they’re needed. Lactation consultation helps you resolve breastfeeding issues, tech frees up your time, and budget restructuring increases resources. These things aren’t the only ways to optimize your abilities as a mom, but at minimum, hopefully these ideas help get you thinking in an effective way about how best to optimize your position as a mom.

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