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For outdoor overnight field trip options visit http://www.discovernci.org
Montessori based environmental education for grades 2nd through 8th.
The first step in being an effective teacher is the desire and passion to be an effective teacher. Whatever road led you here, at the root of it is the aspiration to be just that.
You may wonder how I developed this tips and techniques for being an effective teacher. You may ask about my credentials or site https://domywriting.com/ . I wil...See MoreThe first step in being an effective teacher is the desire and passion to be an effective teacher. Whatever road led you here, at the root of it is the aspiration to be just that.
You may wonder how I developed this tips and techniques for being an effective teacher. You may ask about my credentials or site https://domywriting.com/ . I will share those things with you and more. I will provide you with the tools and techniques I use in the day-to-day work of being a teacher. I am not here to teach you the content of what you teach; I am here to share the tips and techniques I have learned that help students retain content and become passionate for more of it.
About Me
I have not been a teacher for decades, yet I have. I did not know I was a teacher; I thought I was a nurse, a daughter, a student, a sister, and a friend. I remember the moment when I realized I was a teacher. I had taken a part-time job as Skills Lab Manager for an associate degree registered nursing program. Mostly, I was responsible for ordering supplies, stocking closets, and managing equipment, but somewhere in my job description was a clause that said I was responsible for remediating students on nursing skills when they had shown a deficiency in patient care techniques. Of course, I knew nursing skills since I had been a nurse for 3 years at that time, but I was not so sure I knew how to teach nursing skills. I dreaded the day when I would be asked to do so.
I recall my first student to remediate. She had made some serious mistakes in the clinical setting and had been told that if she could not dramatically improve her nursing skills prior to the next patient care experience, she would not be allowed to graduate and become a nurse. That was a lot of pressure for the both of us. If I failed her, she would be out of the program, and if she failed, her life would never be the same. She came to me frightened and intimidated. She had a real tongue-lashing from the teacher who had her in the clinical setting, and she did not know me or what to expect from me.
I would like to be awe-inspiring here and say that a calmness came over me when she entered the room and I miraculously saved her with my infinite wisdom. But what really happened is much less dramatic. I introduced myself to her, discussed the goal of remediation, along with the implications if she were not successful. She already had heard this, but I thought it would be good to go over it again, just in case. I started with something I felt was simple: a manual blood pressure and pulse reading. I will not go into all the details, but suffice to say she needed to be remediated on nearly every skill she had been taught in the previous two years. I had her demonstrate her skills, then I gave her a some constructive criticism. I assigned her some sections from her textbooks to re-read and some videos to re-watch at home, along with a follow-up appointment with her for later in the week when she would be required to do a final demonstration. Just before she left, I could see that she felt beat down, down-trodden, and stupid. I sat down with her and made eye contact. I took her hands and said, "You can do this. We all make mistakes, but that does not make us failures. You cannot let what has happened effect you reaching your goals. You have the ability to succeed and to become an RN." It may sound like a scene out of a sappy movie, but those words brought her to tears. She did not have any faith in herself, and I believe to hear that someone else had faith in her, even though she had really fouled up, changed her outlook on the situation.
When she came back to me later in the week to demonstrate her skills, she was a different woman. Was she nervous? You betcha. But did she hold her head a little higher? Did she look me in the eye instead of staring at the floor? And did she succeed? We will get there in time.
My Credentials
One sappy story may not provide enough proof to ensure you that I can provide anyone with teaching techniques for everyday use in the classroom. I would prefer not to brag, but here it is for those of you who need hard evidence:
I earned a Master's of Science in Nursing, with a specialization in education from Walden University in 2007 and graduated with highest honors.
I have been teaching in a higher education setting for 7 years.
On student evaluations using a 4 point Likert Scale, with 4 being the highest score and 1 being the lowest, I have yet to earn anything less than 3.75 average. (To me, this is my greatest achievement).
In 2011 I received the NISOD Excellence Award for Teaching (see page 56). This is a national award, and I even got to go to a fancy ceremony in Austin, TX and get a medallion.
I have been offered faculty positions at 1 other college and 2 prestigious universities. I have turned all the offers down, in favor of my position at the community college where I began teaching.
For me, teaching is not about being the highest paid or most glamorous person; it is about making the biggest difference. I find I can do that in a big way in the community college setting.
Tips & Techniques
There are thousands of things we, as educators, can do to facilitate learning. You have read about them in magazines and books and observed them in classrooms. I will not tell you about those things. I will tell you about what has worked best for me. There will be lots of examples from my personal experiences with students and from observations of other educators.
First and foremost, respect the student.
This sounds easy. We are professional educators, after all. Aren't we already respectful? Probably, but maybe not always. Here are some of my do's and don'ts regarding this.
Respect Their Knowledge
Do ask your students about their experience. Do not assume that you know more than they do on a subject. You may be surprised by what your students already know. You can use what they know and expound upon it and put it in perspective to their experiences. This can be a rewarding learning experience for the student and is likely to give him/her confidence.
Be Positive
Do go into each student encounter with a positive outlook. Do not have a negative vibe with expectations that it will go poorly. The student will pick up on this and feel disrespected, no matter how hard you try to mask it. Do some positive self-talk if you think it may go badly (e.g. "I want my student to succeed. If my student knows this, he/she will be more willing to accept my constructive criticism.")
Provide Constructive Criticism
On that note, make all criticism constructive. I do not mean we must sugarcoat things. However, even when a student fails a course miserably, if I have gotten to know that student, I can find something positive to say. For example, "George, you have been unsuccessful in my course. Unfortunately, you failed every exam. I admire your willingness to see this class through to the end. Just because you failed the course, that doesn't make you a failure." If the student can re-take a course, tell them how at this point and give suggestions for improvement. Be specific and give written information. People who are very upset do not retain verbal directions. If the failure means they are no longer able to complete a program, offer suggestions utilizing the student's strengths. For example, "You have not been able to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to be a registered nurse, but you are very caring and compassionate with patients. There are a lot of other careers where you can work with people who are sick or need help. Have you given any thought to those?"
As a student and as a professional, I have seen educators give harsh criticism and expect a student to take it calmly and have no personal reaction. Remember, this is a professional role and the student is our consumer. We do not have to like the student to be respectful. For those of you who may be reading this and feel surprised that sometimes teachers do not like students, please keep in mind that teachers are human too. We have real emotions and reactions. In the course of a career, there will be students who simply rub us the wrong way for whatever reason. But our job is to keep our interactions professional. Take a big, deep breath and remind yourself of your role. If not for the simple fact that we are all humans and deserve respect, then for the fact that students have big voices in the community and negative feedback about you can (and often does) have repercussions for the institution, your program, and more.
Make the learning environment as interesting and comfortable as possible.
The Environment
Most people do not learn well when they are hot or freezing or sitting on a hard chair or hungry or sleepy. If you have ever heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, you know that basic necessities must be met before moving on to higher functions, such as learning.
As a teacher, perhaps you do not get to control many things about the environment of your classroom. True. However, you can tell the students to dress in layers, to bring a snack, to get plenty of sleep (we can't really control this one, but we can shout it from the rooftops), to bring a chair cushion, or anything else that helps meet their needs for comfort.
Appealing to Different Learning Styles
Now that we have them comfortable, we do not want them to go to sleep, so here comes the part where we keep it interesting. Have you heard the phrase, "death by PowerPoint"? I bet you have. Take a look at your audiovisuals. Are they visually appealing? Having words on a slide is little more than having words in a book, and let's face it—students rarely read the book, so they may not be reading your PowerPoint slides either. Try something funny, like a cartoon, to break up the monotony. In classes that have a hands-on component, hyperlink a video demonstration into your presentation. Assign posters for different course concepts and have students bring their posters to class on assigned days.
Better yet, get the students physically active. Different people have different learning styles. Consider a time when you have had to sit for hours and listen to someone else talk. It gets old. Get them involved! One of my lectures is about medications. It is pretty dry content and quite difficult to master. When students begin to look glazed over, I abruptly stop what I am saying and wad up a piece of paper and toss it to a student. When they catch it, I ask them to tell me a medication from a particular category (e.g. "Tell me the brand name of an antianxiety medication). Once the student answers the question, he/she gets to toss the paper wad to someone else and ask that person a question. If a student cannot answer a question, he/she has to say something they have learned from that particular lecture, then toss the paper wad again.
Another of my favorite activities involves defense mechanisms people use when anxious. The list of defense mechanisms the students have to learn is long and they can be somewhat confusing. I tell the students a couple of days before we go over them in class to read over them in the textbook and KNOW them. Students often assume I will be giving a quiz on this content, so they study it intensely. When they come to class, I randomly break everyone up into groups and tell them to come up with an anxiety-inducing situation and each person must respond to it with a different defense mechanism. I tell them a prize will be awarded for best actor. The students get 20-30 minutes to come up with their scenario and responses while I float around and answer questions. Each group role-plays in front of the class without giving away their defense mechanism. After each group completes their skit, the rest of the class has to guess which defense mechanism the group members are using. As I observe this, I can tell who studied and understood the concepts and what areas I need to provide more instruction on.
These activities get the students out of their seats and involved in the learning process rather than passively absorbing information. These are just a couple of ideas to get you brainstorming for your own content. Other ideas include case studies with student presentations of their findings and various games and competitions.
Know How to Handle Difficult Student Behaviors
There is a wealth of knowledge in seminars, online content, and more about this one, so I will touch on the things I do not see being addressed.
The Silent Student
Have you had a student who spent the entire term silent in class? He/she never answered a question or raised his/her hand or even interacted much with the rest of the class? This is something I see educators struggling with but not talking about. Involving the silent student is challenging. I usually can determine pretty quickly who my shy and/or silent students are. Once I establish this, there are a few techniques I use to get those students involved.
Most importantly, I do NOT call on those students right away. Calling on a silent student puts that student in an uncomfortable position. Further, if the student does not know the answer, he/she may feel embarrassed. The embarrassment may lead the student to not attempt to answer your questions in the future.
If I want to call on a silent student, I pose a question to the class and tell them to take a few minutes to look up the answer in their textbook or discuss the question with a classmate (whichever is most appropriate for the question), then write their responses down on a piece of paper. I subtly observe the silent student I wish to call on during this activity. If he/she seems to be finding an answer and writing something down, then once the students have completed the assignment, I will ask the class if they were able to find the answer. I will make eye contact with the silent student. IF the student averts his/her gaze, I will not call on him/her. But if the student makes steady eye contact, I will call on him/her to answer the question. Even if the answer is wrong, I will find a way to respond positively. For example, "I can see how you would come to that conclusion. Many people have responded that same way, and in fact, you're on the right track." If the student answers correctly, I will praise him/her, but not too lavishly. Lavish praise also can make the student feel awkward, as though I did not expect the student to answer correctly. Excessive praise also draws the attention of the class and can result in embarrassment.
Allowing the silent student time to formulate a response, then allowing the student to read his/her response off of the paper decreases anxiety related to speaking to the class. Usually, the student will build enough confidence from a few exercises like this to start volunteering information. If the silent student does not volunteer to answer questions in class, but successfully completes several activities like the one described and begins making eye contact when you ask the class questions, you may begin occasionally calling on the silent student.
About a year ago, I successfully used the technique described and about halfway through the term, the silent student raised her hand to answer a question. She answered the question correctly, I provided praise, and we moved on. At the end of class, two students approached me after everyone had left the room. One student said, "How did you get Jane to raise her hand? We've had 4 classes with her, and this is the first class she has ever spoken in!" That is what I call success!
The Constant Complainer
All of us have encountered students who always have something bad to say, but do not seem to see the benefit of their learning experience. If constant complainers are allowed to continue, they can bring down the morale of a group. I will never forget walking into a classroom one day and seeing nearly all of my students staring at me with outright hatred. Once I got to the bottom of it, I found that a couple of students were dissatisfied with an exam and had attempted to rile up the group in mutiny. The students who were not annoyed over the exam were annoyed over the hate-campaign. All that negativity led to a lot of tension in the classroom.
There are several ways to handle this situation, each with its own pros and cons. The way I chose to handle it was this: rather than trying to teach to a group of upset people, I made a casual observation by saying, "It seems a little tense in here. What is going on?" It was pretty quiet for a couple of moments, and then the constant complainers spoke up with the complaint. I assured the students that it was my goal that they learn, and I certainly wanted to address any concerns they may have about the course. I asked the students to take out a scrap piece of paper and anonymously describe their feelings on the matter. I told the students I would read over their statements and address their concerns and asked if they could table the discussion until after I had a chance to review it. When I reviewed the statements I tallied up the different categories of complaints. By and large, most students felt the exam was fair, but many were upset about two students harassing them to complain. In the next class period, I returned with the scraps of paper and put them in piles on my desk. Out of 30 students, there were 5 upset about the exam, 10 who had no complaint, 12 who were annoyed with the complainers, and 3 who did not submit a statement. I told the class this and showed them the piles. I asked that the 5 who were upset about the exam please make an appointment with me via email or after class. I reiterated from the syllabus the campus policy and consequences regarding bullying. Fortunately, there were no further problems that term.
Certainly, there may have been a better way to handle the situation. If you can catch constant complainers before something like this transpires, I suggest you meet with them individually and discuss any problems they may be having. Sometimes a negative attitude is not related to the course, but rather to a sullen disposition or external life events. Letting the student know that you want him/her to succeed is key in this situation. Some students have a level of paranoia when it comes to authority figures, so being overly accommodating or sweet can make the paranoid student feel like you are trying to manipulate them, as well as it may make you appear as an easy target to students who may try to intimidate you.
There are so many more difficult situations when teaching. Many of those have been covered in other places, but keep an eye out on my page for further topics related to teaching and difficult student situations.
Summary of Key Points and Further Suggestions
Be respectful.
Have a positive attitude.
Provide constructive criticism. If it is not constructive, then it is just criticism.
Make the environment conducive to learning.
Provide variety in your teaching style to appeal to different learners.
Make sure all students are involved in the learning process.
Have a plan for handling difficult situations.
Be passionate about your content and your role.
Reflect on what led you to teaching, what you hope to accomplish, and enter into your relationship with your students with this in mind.
Tips for Getting High TOEIC Listening Scores
TOEIC Listening has been one of the most difficult sections for English as a second language learners taking up TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) exams.
This is because TOEIC Listening makes ESL learners listen to recorded English sentences or audio clips.
...See MoreTips for Getting High TOEIC Listening Scores
TOEIC Listening has been one of the most difficult sections for English as a second language learners taking up TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) exams.
This is because TOEIC Listening makes ESL learners listen to recorded English sentences or audio clips.
The people speaking in TOEIC Listening audio clips have varied English accents - American, British, Canadian, Australian, etc.
Because they have to listen to English speakers talk in natural speed and pay attention to English words at the same time, many ESL learners get low scores for TOEIC Listening.
To answer TOEIC Listening questions correctly, ESL learners have to pay attention to English vocabulary, expressions, and sentences closely.
They must have excellent listening comprehension and be quick to understand what they heard.
Below are easy tips for ESL learners who want to ace TOEIC Listening.
Describing Pictures
TOEIC Listening has a section for picture descriptions.
In this section, TOEIC Listening test-takers will be asked to listen to audio clips.
The audio clips play sentences that supposedly describe the pictures.
It is the role of the test-takers to pick the sentences that best describe the pictures.
To know which sentences are actually incorrect, test-takers must watch out for the following traps in TOEIC Listening picture description section:
Many incorrect sentences have words that rhyme with the words in correct sentences. Although these words sound the same, they are completely different.
Many incorrect sentences often have correct words but these words are used in wrong ways. Test-takers must be careful in choosing the correct words and their correct usage.
Many incorrect sentences have correct words that are used in a very confusing or misleading manner. Test-takers must choose the sentences that clearly describe the pictures.
Many incorrect sentences have ideas that are only partially true. Because they are partially true, they are not the best sentences that describe the pictures.
Many incorrect sentences refer to pictures that are not shown in the TOEIC Listening section. Test-takers must choose the sentences that describe the pictures being shown.
Many incorrect sentences have words that are related to but not the same as the words in the correct answers. Test-takers must be careful in choosing the correct words.
To choose the sentences that best describe the pictures shown, it is good for TOEIC Listening test-takers to do the following:
Study pictures carefully
Know the answers to the following questions:
Who is/are on the picture?
What is happening on the picture?
When is the event/situation on the picture likely happening?
Where is the event/situation likely taking place?
Why is the event/situation happening?
How is the event/situation happening?
Listen carefully to the sentences in the audio clips.
Make an educated guess about the sentences that best describe the pictures.
Question and Answer
TOEIC Listening also has a section for question and answers.
The questions are about almost any topic under the sun.
The possible answers to the questions are provided to the test-takers of TOEIC Listening.
To choose the best answers among the choices provided, test-takers must watch out for the following:
Many incorrect answers have words that sound the same as the correct answers.
Examples:
gain vs. reign
whey vs. weigh
Answers to common questions - who, where, what, when, where, and how - are likely to be asked for.
Questions may have questions tags.
Examples:
The building is color black, isn't it?
Cars are on the road, aren't they?
Yes and no questions sometimes do not have direct yes and no answers. The yes and no are omitted at the start of the sentence.
Examples:
Question: The building is color black, isn't it?
Answer: The building is tall, modern and it is indeed color black.
Question: Cars are on the road, aren't they?
Answer: Car driver are driving very fast. Their cars are on the road.
In answering the question and answer section of TOEIC Listening, it is good for test-takers to keep the questions in mind.
They must scan the possible answers. Then, they have to choose which sentences best answer the questions at hand.
They can make an educated guess on the difficult questions in TOEIC Listening question and answers portion https://teachers.net/.
Short Talks
TOEIC Listening has a section for short conversations.
In this TOEIC Listening section, test-takers will be asked to listen to audio clips.
The audio clips play short conversations usually between two persons.
After listening to the audio clips, test-takers must answer some questions.
Possible answers to the questions are given.
It is the duty of test-takers to choose the best possible answer from the given choices.
To choose the best possible answers to questions, test-takers of TOEIC Listening short conversations must be careful of the following:
Rhyming words that have different meanings
Wrong words
Sentences that are grammatically wrong
Sentences that have wrong word orders
Words that change the meanings of sentences (barely, seldom, hardly, never, etc)
It would be helpful for TOEIC Listening test-takers to read the questions before playing the audio clips.
They ought to keep the questions in mind while listening to the audio clips.
Lastly, they have to choose the answers carefully in TOEIC Listening short conversations section.
My next work
How to Ace Exams and Tests
Strategies for Multiple Choice, Short Answer and Open Response Tests
Tests and exams, especially timed tests with high stakes such as state exams (in Massachusetts, even though it is technically an untimed test, passing the 10th grade MCAS is a requirement for receiving a high school diploma, no matter how well a student does in his/her cl...See MoreStrategies for Multiple Choice, Short Answer and Open Response Tests
Tests and exams, especially timed tests with high stakes such as state exams (in Massachusetts, even though it is technically an untimed test, passing the 10th grade MCAS is a requirement for receiving a high school diploma, no matter how well a student does in his/her classes), the SATs, GREs, educator licensure exams, Microsoft Office Specialist certification tests, etc., make people very nervous. Many don't perform as well at the time of the test as they do in practical application work, usually untimed, precisely because of anxiety issues. This is a normal response and a little bit of anxiety has been shown to be beneficial, as it helps individuals sharpen their focus. The following strategies for multiple choice and short answer questions will help any test-taker reduce anxiety to manageable levels, if not eliminate it altogether.
While we all would like to achieve perfect scores, the best strategy is to aim for a perfect score but be realistic and don't get hung up on one specific question, especially on a timed test. The most important thing is to finish all the items in a test, to ensure that you meet the minimum passing score. For professional exams, in particular, this could make the difference between achieving the credential and having to take the test all over again. For example, I recently took a Microsoft Word 2010 certification exam. I would love to be able to say that I got a perfect score of 1,000. However, I got hung up on the wording of a couple of items, out of a total of 20 items. You only have a total of 50 minutes to finish the test. So, I skipped those items and kept on going. I went back to the items and completed one while only doing half of the other. In the last minute left, I simply clicked on the button that submitted that half answer. My score? 896. I definitely passed since the minimum passing score is 700. Again, I would love to have batted a thousand; but I am thrilled that I can add the credential to my resume, without having to take the test again, paying in dollars and anxiety.
How to Ace a Multiple Choice Test
The best strategy for success on a multiple choice test is simple: elimination. Most multiple choice tests offer four possible answers. Using the elimination strategy is easy: of the three or four choices you are given, eliminate as many as possible. Even if you only manage to eliminate two of four choices, you have now given yourself a 50-50 chance to get it right.
Multiple Choice Strategy #1 - Elimination
Let's take a look at an example from a 5th grade Mid-Year Benchmark Assessment in Reading Comprehension (published by Harcourt). The directions read: "Now answer numbers 15 through 20. Base your answers on the article "Maria Mitchell, Astronomer and Teacher." The article given in the test is about a page and a half long.
Here is the third question, number 17:
"What event led to Maria's winning a gold medal for her work?"
f) Maria sent surveys all around the country.
g) Students at Vassar attended "dome parties."
h) Women paid for a telescope for Maria to use at Vassar.
i) Maria discovered a comet while looking through a telescope."
Analysis of Multiple Choice Example #1
The answer (i) is found in this excerpt from the selection:
"On October 1, 1847, Maria really made her mark in astronomy. As she watched the sky through her father's telescope, a comet sped into her field of view. […] Fame followed Maria's discovery, and she received a gold medal for her work."
"As she watched the sky through her father's telescope, a comet sped into her field of view" is the concrete answer to question 17. "…she received a gold medal for her work" is the confirmation of that answer. The other options are also bits and pieces of information from the text selection, but, while they are facts about Maria Mitchell's life, they are, quite simply, not germane to the question being asked.
Multiple Choice Strategy #2 - Making Inferences
Most questions on multiple choice tests are concrete, but some require making inferences (reading between the lines and making a logical best guess about something, such as how a character feels). The elimination strategy, while not completely foolproof, is still a test-taker's best bet.
Let's take a look at another question from the same test, based on the same reading selection: "Based on the article, what was unusual about Maria's desire to study and teach astronomy?
f) Most women preferred biology.
g) Most women were housekeepers.
h) Most people thought learning was unimportant.
i) Most people feared scientific ideas."
While this seems to be a fact-based type of question, it still requires making a bit of an inference. You need to go back to the text (you can read the first two paragraphs, where the answer to number 15 can be found, in the capsule at the right here) and scan for the information, then reach your own logical conclusion in order to eliminate some of the answer choices.
Analysis of Multiple Choice Example #2
Let's analyze the choices, based on the text. Is there anything in the text that supports choice f)? No. The text does not actually say that most women of Maria's day preferred biology. In fact, it says that "few" women studied the sciences and we know that biology is a science. Looking at option g), is there anything in the text that actually says that most women were housekeepers? Not really, though the text does say that most women in her day knew how to sew and that Maria believed women could do more than "manage a household." How about options h) and I)? Does the text explicitly or implicitly state that "learning was unimportant" or that "most people feared" science? Definitely not. In fact, the text leads us to believe that most people thought learning was unimportant specifically for women, but that it was important for men. And it doesn't say anything about fearing scientific ideas. Hmmm. We have just eliminated all of the options, so that means we have to revisit one, in view of the question asking specifically about Maria's choice being unusual. Logically, based on our general knowledge of the role of women before the 20th century, on the text's implications (from the sentence "Maria believed that women could also do much more than oversee a household") and on our process of elimination, the MOST LIKELY correct answer MUST be option g): "Most women were housekeepers."
Making inferences is difficult because the test-taker is not privy to the assumptions that the test item writer is making about things like general background knowledge of cultural norms. But using a process of elimination greatly increases the test-taker's chances of choosing the correct answer.
How to Answer Short Answer or Open Response Questions Strategy #1: Count the elements in the direction line.
The trick to answering short answer, or open response, type questions is to read the directions carefully and count required elements. While some questions' direction lines are fairly straightforward - such as, "How is the conflict in this story resolved? Use details and information from the story to support your answer." - other direction lines give a set-up or explanation and then multiple steps. You must ALWAYS answer all parts of the question for full marks. For example, an educator licensure exam might formulate a question regarding adolescent development like this: "In Document 53, Mr. X's students were having trouble working in groups after the school assembly on Tuesday. Give two examples of how the students displayed normal adolescent behavior. Explain each of your answers based on accepted theories of normal adolescent growth and development."
How to Identify and Answer Direction Line Element 1
The first part of this direction line gives the reference material, Document 53; this tells the test-taker where to find the examples requested. Then, the direction line states "give two examples of…normal adolescent behavior." That means the test-taker must scan Document 53 for examples of student behavior (NOT the teacher's behavior, NOT classroom management techniques, NOT group work techniques and DEFINITELY NOT the test-taker's opinion of what the teacher could have/should have done or the test-taker's philosophy of education or of the behavior of today's teens in general). In the Answer Space on the exam, you should therefore put two lines, labelled A) and B), like this:
A)
B)
You should then scan the reference material to find the two examples and write them in, for example, as below:
A) Students complained about having to work after the Assembly.
B) Two students asked to change groups.
Simply listing the two examples straight from the reference text, in complete sentences, and with A) and B) labels helps you measure completion of the direction line; this answer (depending, of course, on what the actual -rather than my fictional - Document 53 states as a scenario) satisfies the requirement to "give two examples of student behavior." But, you aren't finished answering this question yet! The directions go on: "Explain each of your answers…" This means that you MUST give two separate explanations, if you want full marks.
How to Identify and Answer Direction Line Element #2
You can make sure that the exam scorer knows you are complying with this second direction line by giving your second part a title, like "Explanations." But you don't need to. You do need to reason through your explanation, since it must be based on accepted (again, NOT your personal opinion!) theories of normal adolescent development.
For example A), one explanation could be: "This shows normal development because adolescents like to challenge authority." If you remember specific theories and their exponents clearly, you should add this information to support your statement. However, you will likely receive credit even for such a short answer. For example B), you MUST give a different reason, to make sure that the person scoring your exam can definitely give you the points (scoring does NOT depend on the person scoring but on the criteria given by the exam agency, the state, etc. on their scoring rubrics); a different reason, based on accepted theories of adolescent development, could be: "Students might want to change groups because they probably want to be with their friends; social groups are very important to teenagers." Please note: YOU NEED the second sentence to get the point because that is the "accepted theory of adolescent development" on which your first sentence "they probably want to be with their friends" rests.
Short Answer/Open Response Strategy #2: Make a M-E-A-L
You're probably shaking your head, saying, "What?!" This is a strategy that works best for the first type of short answer or open response question, the kind that seems straightforward, like this one, taken from the Spring 2007 Grade 8, English Language Arts/Reading Comprehension MCAS: "Describe how the author characterizes Julius and Stanley in the excerpt. Support your answer with relevant and specific information from the excerpt."
M-E-A-L is an acronym and a strategy that I learned in a Professional Development seminar offered by the Boston Public Schools, for whom I was a high school teacher (I've taught English Language Arts, English as a Second Language and Spanish). This strategy was created by Joanne Rogers and her ELA teachers at Charlestown High School and was later shared with the rest of the district.
"M" Is for "My Thesis"
My Thesis: write your idea or opinion that answers the question given (in our example, what do you think the author wants us, the readers, to think about Julius, as a person? What do you think the author want us, the readers, to think about Stanley, as a person?
"E" Is for Evidence
Evidence: what is the evidence, or proof, that you find in the text for the idea or opinion you stated in My Thesis, above? Find just ONE direct quote. For the example given above, that's ONE direct quote about Julius AND ONE direct quote about Stanley.
"A" Is for Analysis
Analysis: now analyze the direct quote you used above, always in light of the question. That is, how does the direct quote you chose showor illustrate Julius' character, as you stated in your opinion/idea statement? How does the other direct quote you chose show Stanley's personality or character, as you stated in your idea/opinion statement?
"L" Is for Link Back
Link back to My Thesis: this is your concluding sentence; link it back, using slightly different words, to your idea/opinion as stated in My Thesis.
If you have space on your answer page, and time, you can add more evidence and analysis (but, remember, do NOT add evidence without providing the analysis!). Evidence and analysis go together to comply with the "support your answer with relevant and specific information from the [text]" direction.
A Strategic Approach Improves Exam and Test Scores
To optimize your time on a multiple choice test or exam, read the directions and each item carefully, then proceed to eliminate as many of the answer options you are given as possible. Sometimes, you will need to refer back to a text and leap to a conclusion (make an inference); just remember to apply logic to your guess, so it becomes an educated guess, or good inference! Short answer, or open response, questions require careful attention to how many parts, or elements, a direction line has, and ALWAYS, make sure you give evidence for your answer. Apply these strategies to your next texts (combined, of course, with actually studying your course materials!), and you will see definite improvement in your scores!
we are not getting any field trip to go on theme celebration for kindergarten.
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