Senin, 25 Juli 2011

How to Know if Your Child's First Grade School Teacher is Right for Your Child


By an eHow Contributor
Your child's early school experiences have a lasting impact. Early education teachers are pivotal figures in the intellectual and emotional development of children. While no one can account for the unique chemistry that does or does not develop between student and teacher, there are certain universal qualities that distinguish great teachers from the pack. Learn what to look for, and learn how to get involved productively in your child's school life.
Difficulty        :           Easy
Instructions
1.      Start at the source. While your first grader may not be able to articulate precisely about what he or she likes or doesn't like about a teacher, the child's demeanor and attitude will provide plenty of insight into how school is going.
2    Stay in close contact with your child's teacher. Don't be pushy and don't assume you always know what is best; respect the teacher's authority, but avail yourself of every opportunity to observe and participate in the class. By doing so, you will learn how the teacher solves problems, manages groups and individuals, structures learning activities and deals with the inevitable crises. While you may end up questioning some of the teacher's decisions and policies, you will also undoubtedly gain greater respect for teachers in general.
3    Network with the parents of students in your child's class. Share experiences and observations, not merely just to evaluate the teacher but to assist the teacher and enrich the experience of the students in the class. Motivated and involved parents can improve the quality of teaching. Once again, remember to understand limits and respect the authority of the teacher. How does the teacher respond to the concerns of parents?
4    Observe the progress of your child in academic subjects. Examine and analyze the assignments given and how well they are managed. Observe your child's willingness and motivation.
5    Discuss specific problems that your child may be facing in the class. The more insight you can provide about your child, the more the teacher can provide personalized education.
6    Attend parent-teacher meetings regularly.

12 Design Principles Based on Brain-based Learning Research



By Jeffery A. Lackney, Ph.D.
Based on a workshop facilitated by Randall Fielding, AIA
  1. Rich-simulating environments – color, texture, "teaching architecture", displays created by students (not teacher) so students have connection and ownership of the product.
  2. Places for group learning – breakout spaces, alcoves, table groupings to facilitate social learning and stimulate the social brain; turning breakout spaces into living rooms for conversation.
  3. Linking indoor and outdoor places – movement, engaging the motor cortex linked to the cerebral cortex, for oxygenation.
  4. Corridors and public places containing symbols of the school community’s larger purpose to provide coherency and meaning that increases motivation (warning: go beyond slogans).
  5. Safe places – reduce threat, especially in urban settings.
  6. Variety of places – provide a variety of places of different shapes, color, light, nooks & crannies.
  7. Changing displays – changing the environment, interacting with the environment stimulates brain development. Provide display areas that allow for stage set type constructions to further push the envelope with regard to environmental change.
  8. Have all resources available – provide educational, physical and the variety of settings in close proximity to encourage rapid development of ideas generated in a learning episode. This is an argument for wet areas/ science, computer-rich workspaces all integrated and not segregated. Multiple functions and cross-fertilization of ideas are primary goal.
  9. Flexibility – a common principle in the past continues to be relevant. Many dimensions of flexibility of place are reflected in other principles.
  10. Active/passive places – students need places for reflection and retreat away from others for intrapersonal intelligence as well as places for active engagement for interpersonal intelligence.
  11. Personalized space – the concept of homebase needs to be emphasized more than the metal locker or the desk; this speaks to the principle of uniqueness; the need to allow learners to express their self-identity, personalize their special places, and places to express territorial behaviors.
  12. The community-at-large as the optimal learning environment – need to find ways to fully utilize all urban and natural environments as the primary learning setting, the school as the fortress of learning needs to be challenged and conceptualized more as a resource-rich learning center that supplements life-long learning. Technology, distance learning, community and business partnerships, home-based learning, all need to be explored as alternative organizational structures for educational institutions of the present and future.