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by Teachers.Net
Sep 15, 2009
Tim Newlin alerts us to the symptoms driving more and more victims to enroll in PPA (Power Point Anonymous)!
Powerpoint Pandemic
All across the world students are nodding off in lecture halls, executives are yawning in boardrooms, military personnel are being anesthetized at briefings, and committees are being put to sleep in gove...See MoreTim Newlin alerts us to the symptoms driving more and more victims to enroll in PPA (Power Point Anonymous)!
Powerpoint Pandemic
All across the world students are nodding off in lecture halls, executives are yawning in boardrooms, military personnel are being anesthetized at briefings, and committees are being put to sleep in government offices by infected carriers that are unaware of their condition.
Most of us have been exposed many times and have woken up afterwards wondering where we were and what happened. Some of us may even be already infected! The PPA (Power Point Anonymous) gives us a list of 12 character symptoms to watch out for:
They say nothing until something comes up on the screen.
They spend all their time talking with their backs to the audience.
They speak in a monotone voice with no breaks and no rhythm.
They have no eye contact with the audience.
They have body language says “I don’t want to be here.”
They fidget with a pointer or clicker while fumbling through slides.
They fill slides with too many bullet points.
They use too many charts and graphs.
They use too many clip-art clichés.
They try to communicate too much too fast causing info-overload.
They have little patience with questions and explanations.
They believe that detailed, visual data will somehow be absorbed into the brains of their audience. -------------------------- Click below to read the rest of Tim Newlin's article, then be sure to pass the link on to your network of colleagues! [link removed]
by Paul Schroeder
Oct 16, 2009
Overcrowded Classes
As a teacher in NYC for over 35 years, I've noted that teacher morale is at a new low. For one reason, it is virtually impossible to manage and educate grossly overcrowded classes. (what DO you say to yourself, looking at a class of over forty pupils; "I shall give that child one minute of attention and that pupil four...See MoreOvercrowded Classes
As a teacher in NYC for over 35 years, I've noted that teacher morale is at a new low. For one reason, it is virtually impossible to manage and educate grossly overcrowded classes. (what DO you say to yourself, looking at a class of over forty pupils; "I shall give that child one minute of attention and that pupil four minutes and that one thirty seconds?). Having nearly forty pupils or more per class in a high school setting nullifies the individualized attention often needed for pupil success.
Monsters in Suits
In addition, administrators except in rare cases seem predominately and uniquely unqualified to administrate the teaching of teachers. They have been trained specifically in only one regard and that is to perceive administration as the use of gross and harsh bullying tactics towards teachers often using tactics that we as teachers would come under fire for if they were used in our own classroom management. Administrators are also uniformly the poorest role models for new and even seasoned teachers as they unerringly conduct inane, tedious and boring faculty meetings and teacher training workshops lessons that would surely fail in the classroom and quickly lose our pupil's interests if we endeavored to employ them.
A Failing System with 50% Dropout Statistics
The insoluble problems to New York City education persist in badly outdated curriculum, crumbling school infrastructures, an a priori pupil ennui, widespread parental carelessness and untrained and inept assistant principals and principals who are unprofessional as well as untrained except in a new tactic of widespead mean - spiritedness.These principals are taught in closed workshops and secretly encouraged by the Mayor's office and the Chancellor's office to rule by such bullying. Under the Mayor's new total control, these principals have new found medieval powers over teachers in the New York City educational system.
Bully Tactics
A teacher interviewed by me recently had spent many months in a rubber room after being falsely and unfairly accused of insubordination by such an unscrupulous principal. And this, after 27 years of unblemished service. Removed from the classroom and sent to Linden place in Queens he was suddenly aloft and facing pending charges, sent to a holding cell crowded with teachers from all walks, also charged with similar frivolous and goofy charges. It was truly a illegal detention of a professional Union.
Like a Fish Out Of Water
The psychological damage of sudden detention for months and for some, years, in a crowded holding pen with dozens more, locked in a rubber room, with many more such rooms hidden away around the city, did enough damage to those around him, all accomplished and dedicated teachers.This daily inglorious restraint destroyed all of his teaching muscles and challenged his morale. Eventually, it forced him and other senior teachers to resign. "We can make these charges all go away,if you resign", is what DOE attorney Fox told him and others; where's the due process in that?
Guilty Before Proven Unfairly Guilty
These suddenly burgeoning rubber rooms are illegal violations of Civil Liberties and due process. He observed that swift fair adjudication and fair treatment was given to much younger teachers accused of similar charges.They didn't languish for long months or years for adjudication that strove to prove them guilty; it was odd that younger teachers were treated fairly. Senior teachers as a group were forced out; could this reflect a systemic move by the State Legislature and State Senate to balance the State budget by removing senior staff everywhere, or is this Mayor Bloomberg's rancor at the UFT? These teachers have been abandoned by their union and are forced into a semblance and a cynical facsimile of due process.
865 teachers awaiting charges
Whoever has ordered this sudden unfair treatment that bounces teachers antiseptically from schools into "rubber rooms" and paints them all with the same punitive brush has doubled the rosters of detained and tightly corralled teachers for similar charges of insubordination.This is unprecedented in the history of New York City. The injustices abound. When 'troublesome' teacher's classroom lessons are observed,assistant principals watch with 'unfriendly eyes' and the observation reports are twisted into"unsatisfactory" ratings by these vendetta seeking A.P.s and power crazed principals,perverting the observation 'tool',itself, into just another weapon in their unscrupulous hands.Teachers are left unable to defend themselves against the lies and distortions purposefully put into those'reports.'
Bloomberg's fascism
Why does the teacher's union, the UFT, allow these rooms to exist and persist? No other so-called professional Union would tolerate such treatment of its members. But principals continue to remove teachers who show any personal unionized initiatives in questioning principals or their new bullying tactics and clearly the blame rests at the Mayor's door. (Bloomberg will likely be re-elected as the public knows nothing of his fascist inklings. His evil, behind the scenes regime against teachers will continue to gut the UFT.)
by Les Leonard
Oct 20, 2009
On Demand Tutoring Facilitating the Multilevel Classroom A New Idea for a Familiar Challange
In most classrooms today, each student has different strengths and weaknesses. Students with individual needs often want individual teacher time. With so much demand on raising test scores, we need to meet individual needs efficiently. These stude...See MoreOn Demand Tutoring Facilitating the Multilevel Classroom A New Idea for a Familiar Challange
In most classrooms today, each student has different strengths and weaknesses. Students with individual needs often want individual teacher time. With so much demand on raising test scores, we need to meet individual needs efficiently. These students would benefit from having a tutor. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a room full of tutors? Well, you could. We have learned a lot about how to reach our students and we keep learning. How about a new tool? Let’s integrate technology with teacher performance and demonstration to reach students a new way. Most schools have a computer lab or computers in the classrooms. We read about more new technology everyday. Recently, smartboards and digital cameras have been in the news. I decided to try using the computer lab for more individualized instruction. To give the students exactly what they need, I created pre-recorded teacher DVDs for the students to watch and take notes from. Teaching videos have been used for years. Why not make some of your own? Using a PC or laptop, projector, Smartboard and a digital video camera, you can create your customized teaching DVDs to use in the classroom. The Smartboard allows a teacher to save entire lessons in advance, thus, saving a lot of writing and erasing time during a lesson presentation. The Smartboard has a recorder feature built in which allows a teacher to record segments that can be played back during the lesson. After a lesson has been saved, a teacher can film the lesson presentation using a digital camera .This allows the teacher to clearly explain exactly what the students need throughout the lesson. The teacher made DVD can then be saved to computers for students to view as needed. This allows students to work individually on the areas where improvements are needed.
,
For example, a Math concept that many students need reinforcement in is fractions. To help these students improve, I designed a lesson on the Smartboard with clear Visuals and sample problems. Then, I filmed the lesson. I went through the lesson just as I would if I were in front of the whole class. I saved the written part of the lesson, web sites to in -cooperate and power points. The DVD is now on the computers in the computer lab for students to use. At first, this process takes some preparation time, but it is well worth it. The students are engaged and happy to use the technology. Each student can play, pause, fast forward or rewind the DVD as they watch and listen through the headphones. The emphasis on individualized needs makes them feel special. The presentation is authentic and meaningful because it is the classroom teacher who has prepared the lesson. One student can work on Math while another studies Language Arts. Thus, in the long run, saving the teacher time and making individual needs more manageable. Several students have asked to buy or download the lessons.
Les Leonard Johnson City Schools
I am a new instructor for an adult nursing class. You would think if all are adults all would act like adults, not so! Anyone with suggestions on classroom management?
My daughter has early acceptance to the college, that is her first choice. We are going to tour the campus next week, and meet with the financial aid office. I have a lot of questions in mind, but need to know if there are specific questions I should ask, or that my daughter should ask.
Also, how does one determine if a college is going t...See MoreMy daughter has early acceptance to the college, that is her first choice. We are going to tour the campus next week, and meet with the financial aid office. I have a lot of questions in mind, but need to know if there are specific questions I should ask, or that my daughter should ask.
Also, how does one determine if a college is going to be the right fit? From their website, I believe that the small private nature, of the college is a good fit for her, but what else should we look for?
Thanks.
This seems to be the only ABE/GED teacher chat I can find on the Internet. Wish there was something on YahooGroups for ABE/GED teachers so we could upload lesson plans, etc . There seem to be more discussions about ESL; anyone know of another, more active ABE/GED chat?
t.
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Teacher Chatboards
Literacy Partners' teacher training and student classes are held in the evenings. 1199 runs GED classes on Saturday.
I wasn't the only teacher who was on to this: A LOT of the volunteers at Literacy Partners were DOE teachers with impressive experience in K-12 w...See More