Month: June 2016

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When learning to speed read, the saying that a little information can be a dangerous thing still applies. Consider the term "eye-span. " Even though I've been teaching people from all walks of life how to speed read for 30 years, I have only recently received many questions about it. For new learners coming into my programs, the question keeps coming up early in training. I do not even use the term in my training. The new learner has read something about it somewhere. There is too much concern for it though.

"Eye-span" is referred to the amount of text someone takes in with the eyes for each stopping, or "fixation" of the eyes. By stating "eye-span," someone has already been doing some investigating about speed reading. There is much mis-information about the topic. It is true that part of the goal of speed reading is to allow the eyes to take in more for each stop of the eyes (fixation). A traditional linear reader typically takes in one to three words per fixation. That is inefficient when you consider the total area of ​​clear focus the eyes have at normal reading distance. This normal area of ​​sight measures between one to three inches in diameter. Sight is always dimensional – that means there is both a horizontal and vertical field.

The problem of learning to speed read and "eye-span" becomes apparent due to marketing and the fact that many programs try to teach you to widen the horizontal span. In fact many programs, especially speed reading software programs, train way beyond the natural limitation of the sight experience that is about 3 inches using only the horizontal field. These types of training exercises try to stretch that span to six inches or more telling the learner to go straight down the page with one fixation per line, line by line.

Remember I pointed out that sight is dimensional? Try this experiment. Take a page of mostly text that the printed area across measures six to eight inches and has big paragraphs. Now, focus your eyes somewhere in the middle of the text. Lock your eyes still. Take a pen or pencil and draw a circle around how much print you can clearly see. Do not worry about understanding the text, just focus on clarity of the sight experience, or how much you see. Measure the area. It is probably somewhere between one to three inches in diameter. This is your natural "cone of sight."

When you speed read, you are trying to move this "cone of sight" across and down the page. However, you do not want to be concerned by how many words you are seeing. You want your mind to search out meaning from the text. However, without training the mind to respond and comprehend with these words appearing out of order, it will be quite frustrating because you do not comprehend.

Please know that you can not read if you do not comprehend. Comprehension is the key. Comprehension is getting meaning from the print. Too often I get learners who say they learned to go through material at 1500-2500 words per minute, but they do not understand. They have gone through the visual training, but not the cognitive training, or comprehension.

With this focus on "eye-span" the learner gets too concerned over the technical aspects of the eyes, or mechanics, and forgets about the meaning of the text. The mind gets overloaded because there is competition for what the mind is doing. You can not comprehend if you're so focused on the technical aspects of what the eyes are doing. So forget about what your eyes are doing. Push for the meaning!

For all our years of teaching speed reading, we teach learners to open that 1-3 inches in diameter and search for idea chunks, or meaningful groups of words. It is not about "word groups," "word clusters," or the number of words that is important. It is about stopping the eyes on "meaning groups." Speed ​​Reading is a process by which the reader is searching for meaning from the print in a more efficient manner. Eye-span only plays a part of the reading process, but gets nearly all the attention in most speed reading training.

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Source by Ed Caldwell

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One of the most confusing parts about Ninja training, especially for the non-Japanese student, are the terms and names for the skills, techniques, strategies, and other aspects of the art. It can be a daunting task for the Western student to have to learn the many Japanese names that naturally developed as a part of the art over the centuries.

One area of ​​concern, especially for the respectful student, is in making sure that they are using the titles of authority and respect reserved for their teachers and senior students correctly. And, while pronunciation is a major concern for many, it would also be helpful if they knew what word or title was appropriate when referring to, or interacting with any particular person. In that light, this article highlights a few of the titles used to extend proper respect toward your teacher and seniors while involved in training.

Soke – Often mistranslated as "grand master ," this is the title for the "head-of-lineage." Soke is a position, not a rank. In fact, the soke of any particular school or lineage is "outside" of the concept of rank, and is the person from whom rank is extended or flows. So, there is only 1 Soke within a lineage.

Sensei – This is the term that is generally used, and most readily recognized within the context of Japanese-based martial arts. The term simply means, "teacher," and can be used to identify anyone who is providing you with a lesson.

Shidoshi – This is a teaching title, used especially with Ninja training. One possible definition is that of "teacher of the warrior ways of enlightenment." However, if you were to look at the base components of the word – "SHI" & "DOSHI" – you find a meaning of "teacher's teacher," or a teacher of teachers, rather than the common idea of ​​a teacher of students – as the word "sensei" implies.

Shihan – This is not an official rank or self-imposed title, as many believe, but rather an honorific used to identify someone who is an excellent "role model" and worthy of following. You would no sooner call yourself a shihan, as I would introduce myself to someone as "Role Model Miller!"

Kansho – While there may be several Shidoshi or sensei within a given school, there is only one at the head of the group. So, just as Soke is the "head-of-lineage," a Kansho (sometimes written as "kan-SHI") is the "head-of'-the-'school" or "head-of-the-dojo" ).

Sempai – Contrasted with the word "KO -hai", which means "junior student," the sempai refers to any student senior to you in rank. Kohai are the junior, or "newer" students, and sempai are the seniors. But, again, this term is relative to YOUR position relative to the other students within the dojo setting. When you joined, all of the students already members of the dojo were, by default, your seniors – regardless of rank. Just as you will be the sempai, or senior, or anyone who joins after you.

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Source by Jeffrey Miller

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Ninja assassin training methods are simply a fusion of jujutsu, fighting methods, as well as secret tactics that are generally performed by the ninja in their training. The ninja is one who is an specialist in numerous forms of combative arts, such as the art known as ninjutsu. No one is for sure what the true origin of ninjas in history is, however it is believed that they were instructed rigidly to perform spying missions as well as covert murders to prevent wars or maybe just to complete a job given to them from their ninja masters .

Most often, the ninja are thought of as assassins but they were in reality eminent warriors, along with masters in all kinds of combat. Ninjas moved as quickly and as unseen as the wind itself, that is taught to them throughout their schooling, therefore a ninja was always known to become one that could move both invisibly and without a sound. Actually, one of the translations of the word ninja is thought to be warrior of the shadows. Shinobi training was about knowing how to withstand right through the most difficult conditions. The idea of ​​Shinobi is to continue on, even when the opponent has got his sword to your head!

Talking of ancient lords, fighters and their battle techniques, it would be unfair not to bring up the samurai. The word Samurai, when translated means to serve, thus in a true meaning, it is both service to the local lord, along with service of his own country. For one to be an adequate servant to his master, one should become taught in war strategies and this includes knowledge in martial arts.

As discussed before, ninjutsu is the art of teaching fighting tactics in addition to invisibility. The last true ninja training dojos in Japan that still preserves ninja secrets is the Marukin Dojo set up by Aki Marukin. In this dojo, an individual is coached in sword combat, jujutsu and correct conduct with both conventional and cutting-edge ninja weapons to become a genuine ninja. Being experienced in ninjutsu arts, the ninja in addition has weapons that they employ to defeat their opponents easier.

The general weapon for ninja, in addition to the samurai, is the sword. However the difference is the ninja sword is straight, while a samurai's sword is curved. They are both utilized to slash an arm or simply to stab an opposition to death.

Another broad ninja weapon we generally observe in ninja films is the shuko, that are claw like spikes that help the ninja climb quickly. Furthermore, a poisoned dart is also used, as a ninja by and large carry them on their hitokis so once the circumstances requires the rival to be killed, it will be nearly instant.

Ninjutsu is the martial art that originated in Japan to preserve ninja and samurai training, but these days it is learned in other parts of the globe, including the US. Marukin's advanced ninja training methods might look strict and painstaking, be that as it may, it is repaid with an astounding sense of fulfillment. It is simply not enough to discover the leading ninjutsu tactics or be the most skilled when using weapons, what is significant is the style of individual you will be once you are really deserving of being called a real ninja.

When correctly applied, the katana becomes the ninja's will. That means that physical existence conforms to the ninja's thoughts, and there is no difference between the interior or exterior aspects. This way of thinking is completely natural, and can be observed easily in the motions of top martial arts experts when they battle an attacker. Only human beings seem to improve the desire to become trained in this effortless ninja skill.

Keep in mind that someone should not merely go through the harsh ninja assassin training only because they think it's cool, there is far more to being a ninja. Do not forget that throughout history, ninjas are warriors to be revered.

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Source by Dylan Porchenski

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Classroom management is probably the most difficult area for new teachers to master. While every teacher eventually develops their own management style, there are some strategies that just do not work. Eliminate these as options and you've gone a long way to having a smoothly running classroom.

1. Using physical force. This might get you fired and / or sued.

2. Being too authoritarian: "You'll do what I say, or else." "I'm the boss here." There will always be the kid who calls your bluff. Do not let yourself be boxed into a corner by the kid who is not intimidated by threats.

3. Bribing students to be good. "If you'll behave when the principal comes to observe, I'll buy you a pizza." I myself was guilty of this as a pre-student teacher. In my college we had a program where I helped out in a junior high classroom. The kids were typical, rowdy junior high kids. We had to videotape ourselves conducting a small group lesson as part of the experience. I told the kids I would buy them a treat if they behaved. They did behave and I did buy the treat, but that was the last time I ever resorted to such a cheap tactic. I'm convinced they would have behaved just as well and it's a bad precedent to set in any case.

4. Getting involved in a power struggle. If pushed too hard in front of their peers some students will refuse to back down no matter the consequence, and may even become violent. Remember that your goal is for instruction to continue. Most classrooms now have telephones. If a kid truly becomes a threat, call the office and have someone come and take him away. Otherwise, tell the student you'll deal with this later when you've had time to think about it and move on with class.

5. Being sarcastic or mocking students. Please, please, please do not do this. You will be tempted but nothing good will ever come from it. Count to 10 and keep your mouth closed!

6. Saying "Do you want me to send you to the principal's office?" What's the point of that question?

7. Threatening discipline but never following through. Fairness is very important to students. If you say you are going to do something, then you need to do it.

8. Getting angry. Once the kids make you lose your temper, they are in control. (Note: You WILL get angry on occasion! You are human and they can make you crazy. Just make it your goal to not get angry and then try to live up to it.)

9. Holding a grudge against a student or a class. It's essential to give all students a fresh start every day.

10. Assuming kids are sneaky, lie and cheat. They will live up to your expectations.

It's a good idea to keep a record of which management strategies work for you and which do not. Different classes respond to different strategies. Classroom management involves a lot of trial-and-error but if you remember not to do the above things you're ahead of the game!

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Source by Barbara A Toney

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THE TEACHER INTERVIEW … Some useful responses to the most frequently asked questions.

"If someone ever asks you if you can do a certain job, say," Of course I can! ", Then quickly go and learn how to do the job!"

– Theodore Roosevelt

The research indicates that about 10 seconds after you enter the room for your interview, the employer has already made a mental judgment of "Yes" or "No" about you as the successful candidate. Now, you would not have gotten this far in college if you were not a pretty sharp individual, so you might be asking this question … If the decision about me has already been made in the first 10 seconds, why should I worry about suggested answers to the most frequently occurring questions? An astute question. We believe the we have some responses that the average interviewee does not make, which, if he or she made them, would cause people's eyes to widen and their jaws to drop. Many of our students have come back and told us that some interviewers were amazed by these answers- and told the job seeker as much. Having lead interviews for teachers for 19 years, I guarantee that the people asking the questions will talk about you in a positive way after you leave the room if you answer questions that include these suggestions … Will it get you the job- Maybe. If there are callback interviews – will they call you? Probably. So what are we saying? Our suggested responses can change the Zeitgeist so to speak. In other words, we believe that our suggestions disrupt the tyranny of the "10 Second Rule." Therefore, unless you arrive at the interview late, wearing jeans, and say "What's up Dude" at the handshake- you will still be alive and kicking at the conclusion of the interview regardless of the a priori decision that might have been made about you 10 seconds after you walked into the room … That being said, let's take a look at the questions that appear most frequently at interviews for teaching jobs. Here the list …

1. Tell us about yourself.
2. What is your Philosophy of Education?
3. What can you tell us about your classroom management skills?
4. What would you do if a student told you what you can do with yourself?
5. What is one of your strengths, and one of your weaknesses?
6. What do you know about assessment?
7. What can you tell us about Special Education Law? (Follow-up) What's the difference between an accommodation and a modification?
8. Do you have any thoughts about School Climate?
9. Do you have any other questions, or anything else you would like to share with us?

QUESTION # 1

Tell us about yourself.

This is not an actual question, but it serves as a nice ice breaker. Here, the interviewers are checking out what you look like, how you are dressed, what your personality is like, how warm, passionate, humorous, you are, but most of all, they do not really care that much what you say at this point, as long as you can string sentences together in appropriate English. Remember that only seven per cent of one's message is effective based on the information dispensed. The rest is based on how you said the information- your face-eyes-smile-gestures-posture-dress, etc. So what do you talk about?

In the Clint Eastwood movie Heartbreak Ridge, Eastwood plays a tough, grizzly old veteran Gunnery Sergeant who has to get a group of less than gung-ho Marines ready for combat. His Captain, a bespeckled, nerdy but nice, college boy says to Eastwood … "You know Gunny, I was President of my college ROTC Club!" Eastwood's facial expression is priceless, and his comment is something like, "I'll sleep better at night knowing that sir …" The bottom line- do not talk about when you were head of the cheerleaders or president of the student government – sorry, but nobody cares. Talk instead about general qualities of personality in one or two minutes and give a couple of specific examples. For example, talk about your passion, your dedication, your respect for the chain of command- all of which can be shown by my volunteering to save the Emperor Penguins when I was a volunteer for Greenpeace … Make sure to bring the plane in safely in about 1-2 minutes without complaining or criticizing your last place of work, school, or boss, because that will immediately translate into YOU ​​being the problem.

QUESTION # 2

What is your Philosophy of Education?

For the most part, you do not have one yet- you just want a job. They pretty much know this, but they want to hear how you think. The biggest mistake you can make here is to paint yourself in to the corner with some dogmatic philosophical point about education which you adopted after hearing a political candidate on TV last week who might espouse a position totally opposite of what the decision maker believes. Sinclair Lewis gave this definition of a politician … "One who is ample and vague on all subjects!" Here, we do not want to be ample, but you should definitely be vague. The answer should include most of the following thoughts: As a young educator, its logical to assume that my Philosophy of Education is an EMERGING ONE. As I develop it, I try to take an ECLECTIC APPROACH, meaning that I try to incorporate the best strategies and ideas from the many fine teachers I have been taught by. That being said, I endeavor to take an approach that is both SCHOLARLY and HUMANISTIC. The research on what one's favorite teacher was like always focuses first on the personal qualities of KINDNESS, PATIENCE, and HUMOR combined with providing a STIMULATING & CHALLENGING ACADEMIC ATMOSPHERE. That is my goal right now as I develop this philosophy. This kind of thoughtful response will raise a few eyebrows.

QUESTION # 3

What can you tell us about your Classroom Management Skills, especially as it relates to Disciplining Students?

Here, school administrators are looking for teachers who will not write up hundreds of students and merely send them to the office. They love it when teachers regularly contact parents and involve them in the process- making sure to send positive notes home- not just negative ones, and they love problem solvers because most of their days are spent solving problems caused by others. So what are some things you should say here? Finally, administrators are fanatics about student engagement or time on task- so mention you goal to keep students engaged from bell to bell.

1. Include something simple like a point about positioning and time management … I have tried to make myself a student of Classroom management strategies because the politicians seem to think that all that is necessary to teach is that a person have brains. If you have no tools, however, your class will become chaotic. So, for example, I am always careful to position myself so that I see as much of the class as possible and never have my back to students- even when I am talking to one student. I never take the bait, and seldom if ever confront a student in front of everyone if I can speak to a student privately and deny him "the stage," so to speak. I try to always start class ON TIME, by having something for the students to do the moment they walk into the room. Those are just a couple of examples.

When it comes to disciplining students, I will try to involve PARENTS in the process where possible. For example, suppose YOU were acting up in my class (Look straight at the group leader forcefully). I would ask to see you privately and I might say, "Johnny, this is my cell phone. I have your Mom's work number. The next time I have to talk to you about hitting other kids, we are going to call your Mom right here from class and you can tell her why she is getting the call. Do you think she'll be happy to hear from you? right, she will not. So I know you are going to stop behaving this way right? Good. See you tomorrow. Tomorrow, or several days later when yOU (Johnny) are acting up, I might just hold my cell phone out and wave it at Johnny from a distance- or point to it …. and if the word got out that I actually made you do it- (ask the interviewers the rhetorical question) "What do you think would happen to the frequency of my discipline problems?"

At this point, your interviewers will be laughing their heads off or they will be speechless. They will have basically fallen in love with you by this point. They may not want to let you off the property without your signature on a contract! Well, that is a little overstated, but you get my point. NOBODY is answering a question like this- NOBODY!

Which brings up another important tip … Always provide examples that include the people in the room in your hypothetical. We did that in the above response. Look them right in the face and say, suppose you Dr. Smith and Mr. Jones are pushing and shoving in my class … I would not overreact, but I would tell you to sit down and that I will talk with you after class. After class, I would write up a disciplinary referral for both of you. Then I would say that I could send this down to the office, but I am such a nice guy, I am going to keep it here in the drawer. If you guys ever do this again though, it goes down to the office with a second referral- it's all up to you, boys. Include the people in the room in the hypo- make them the crazy parent or the misbehaving student. However, keep the Principal in his role as Principal. Thus, "You (pointing to him) are my boss." "I am going to follow the CHAIN ​​OF COMMAND, and I will try to follow your suggestions and I am going to keep you informed when I have spoken with parents of these two individuals here who were in a scuffle, because I know that they will no doubt be calling you or the Superintendent, so I do not want you being caught with no knowledge about some issue. Then all you need to do is tell me to "take care of the problem", and I will do that to the best of my ability. " I may lack experience, but I try to be a PROBLEM SOLVER, not a HAND-WRINGER. (Oh dear, what do I do now?) Your questioners will be getting the "Bends" by now from hyperventilating about your answers!

QUESTION # 4

What would you do of a student told you what you can do with yourself?

This question is not usually on the list of prepared questions that the interviewers are going to ask everyone. Usually, an irreverent question like this is asked by some macho character in the room, and if you are a petite female, it is even more likely to be asked of you. Did I hear you say, "That's not Fair?" Get over it- they will be plenty more and worse things that are not "Fair." So how do we answer this? The first suggestion is to make them squirm just a little by providing your own clarification- something like this … "Oh you mean like where a kid tells me to go F — myself?" This will bring a sheepish nod of the head by the questioner, or perhaps a cough followed by a quiet "Ah, Yea …" The others in the room will know that you just zinged him back too and will respect you for saying it , and the first thing they say when you leave the room is, "Boy she got you on that" what you should do with yourself question, Bob "… did you hear how she jumped right on that- I LIKE her!"

Well, you just scored some points, but you have not actually answered the question yet, so here is a suggested approach to the irreverent question. Remember, first, that it is being asked for its shock value, so keep an absolute poker face on the matter. As they say in court- act as though you expected a question like this and be stone-faced about it. Then say that you would not overreact, but I would remind the student that what he said was inappropriate, and that the school discipline code expects teachers to write a student up for this kind of language, but let's start by you seeing me for a few minutes after class and we'll discuss it. If the student does not stay after class, then I send the disciplinary referral down to the office- end of story. My goal, however, is to CHANGE behavior, so if the person does stop in after class as requested, I might try one of two things. 1) I would show him the disciplinary referral and show him in the discipline code what will probably happen to him. Then I might- depending on whether he in contrite and apologetic- tell him that I am going to keep this referral in my drawer. Any further behavior like this and I write the next one up and send them both down to the office.

2) If the student is younger, I might have him write down what he did on a piece of paper. I then, with a flourish, put it in a business envelope and tell the student that I am going to put a stamp on this and address it to your father's place of business so you can not intercept it. However, since I am such a nice guy, I will keep it here in the drawer, and next time you talk like this, I put the letter in the mail- along with the new incident. Boy, will not Dad be surprised to read this ?! That will likely be the end of the problem.

Once again, you will leave them speechless- or laughing maniacally as they say "Why did not I think of that?" to themselves. They will be impressed by your dispassionate, business-like approach to the matter. What started out as a rogue question will wind up scoring heavily in your favor.

QUESTION # 5

What is one of your strengths, and one of your weaknesses?

This is a question generic enough to be handled by practically every book you read related to the job search and interview processes. Sometimes it might be asked, "What are three mistakes you have made?" or What was your biggest mistake, and what did you learn from it? or "What have you learned and what changes have you made based upon your weaknesses?" You can get better advice on this non education-specific question by checking the most popular online sites. One we recommend is JobInterview.net. Among a wide array of strategies and ideas, they have an interview question index listed by a key word like "Weaknesses" in alphabetical order. Matt and Nan De Luca, authors of several books on interviews suggest that you tell a story. Since you can be sure that you will be asked a question like this, you can think of the story in advance, and keep it concise. The story should tell an incident in your life, what happened, and how you overcame the problem and learned from it, made appropriate adjustments, etc. Since the most important thing in the lives of us imperfect individuals as regards mistakes is not that we make them, it s that we learn from them and do not repeat them.

Matt and Nan DeLuca assert that these kind of questions are asked because the interviewer is looking to determine how well you know yourself, your credibility, and how you react to different situations. The questions are coming. Remember the quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin on preparation … "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." Prepare for your interview by consulting Job Interview.net and other sources for those non-education specific questions.

QUESTION # 6

What do you know about assessment?

Nobody likes this topic, but everyone acts like it is the most important thing in education. The people talking to you hate it also, and have others doing the work for them as regards the process, preparation and reporting of scores in the State Standardized Testing. You need to convey your belief that accountability is important in education and if we are going to assert that we are doing a good job, then there must be documentation to support the claim. Since your role in the state-wide process is to serve as a proctor for exams, you can move right to the assumption that they are referring to teacher made assessments based on what is going on in the classroom.

You will tell them that the Curriculum Triangle is an important concept to embrace. Imagine a triangle with each point entitled "Written" – "Taught" – and "Tested" … Therefore, what is written in the curriculum guide should be what is taught, and what is taught is what should be tested. This is how we achieve validity and quality control. Then you ask a question out of the blue- For example, has anyone heard of IPSATIVE ASSESSMENT? Of course, no one will have heard of it, but you say, that, as a student of assessment types, you just learned this one yourself and it means an assessment where a student is competing against himself- in other words. He is trying to better his score or time from a previous time when he took the test. Assessments can range from "Informal Assessment" to "Rubric-Based Assessment", and you want them to know you are aware that you may have students with disabilities in your classes so some form of "Alternative Assessment" may have to be used. Can you give us an example they might ask? Yes, I may have to have an open ended time limit for a student or I might have to read the exam to him, would be an appropriate answer.

QUESTION # 7

What do you know about Special Education Law? Also, what is an IEP?

Relax, most of the people in administrative positions know a little about Special Education Law and dread all of the issues and concerns, lawyers, child advocates, meetings, constraints, and changes that occur in this process. There is an answer which you can give which I explain to all of my students. If you give this answer, it will show the people in the room that you might just know more than they do about special education law. It will also tell them that, by hiring you, the district will have a person that will keep them out of court. Here is the one sentence response … write it down.

Here's is what I know about Special Education Law and it is the foundation on which everything rests, namely, Under the IDEA, all children are entitled to FAPE in the LRE, and this is placed in writing in a legal document known as the IEP. For all of these acronyms, you say the individual letters, except for FAPE where you say it as though it is a word like "TAPE" except for the F. What do these mean? You probably will not be asked this since you will have "stopped the show" with this answer- the interviewers will be in shock that a person so young is so aware of the law. However, it is important to know what these mean so as not to be disingenuous, so briefly the acronyms mean the following:

1. IDEA- This is the law, passed by Congress and signed by the President known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It has its basis in the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

2. FAPE- All children are entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education. This means that if your child has Rhett's syndrome and must be transported to a special school each day for children with similar special needs and the child needs an adult to be with her all day, you the parent do not have to pay for it because the education for all children is supposed to be free.

3. LRE- This refers to the Least Restrictive Environment. It means that, to the extent possible, your child with special needs is going to be in 1) The same classroom as the other kids in the neighborhood, or 2) The same building as the other kids but in a special class for some of the day, or 3) the same building but a special class all day, or 4) A different place that can focus on the child's special need, or 5) a residential setting, or 6) at home. The point being that the target destination for all children starts out as the same classroom same school as everybody else, or there must be appropriate documentation to support a lower level placement. This is a simplified explanation of a complex process.

4. IEP. This means Individualized Education Program. This is an acronym identifying a legal document as well as a process outlining all of the things that will be involved in the education of a child with special needs. Determine today to make yourself an expert on the IEP process. The people interviewing you will not be experts, but compliance with the law is required and you need to be able to say accurate things when giving your answer.

Here are some important aspects of an IEP presented in a list fashion. Your preparation for the interview should include speaking intelligently to the question and incorporating as many of the following facts as you can.

1. Under the Handicapped Act of 1975 (PL 95-142), Every child in the United States is entitled to FAPE (Free, Appropriate, Public Education)
2. This act mandated that the IEP (Individual Education Program) is the cornerstone of the student's education.
3. In every school, a team meets to create the IEP. That team consists of the Parents, an Administrator with the ability to commit district resources / time / money, the child's teacher or teachers (This is where you come in!), And a guidance counselor or school psychologist.
4. No changes may be carried out without parent approval.
5. Meetings are held once a year and once agreed upon and signed, the IEP becomes legally binding.
6. The IEP lists the child's current status and ability levels in school and clearly spells out with express (written) goals, where the people involved expect the student to be by the end of the year.
7. An important question that will be asked is whether the setting is appropriate to the goals of the IEP.
8. Any special accommodations in testing, for example, or with assistive devices are also listed.
9. Where there is disagreement, the parent is entitled to a hearing and may bring appropriate legal representation.

Now you know about IEP's. You will not need a book. Learn this information well and you will know as much or more than the people in attendance unless one of them is the Special Education Coordinator. Additionally, today, not tomorrow, sign up for a free newsletter that comes to you weekly online from Wrightslaw. This is an organization which provides legal and practical strategies for parents and teachers related to all matter of Special Education issues. With a little bit of reading and preparation you will know more about Special Education Law than 90% of the people in your school district. With the information above, you are already in the top 25%!

QUESTION # 8

What suggestions would you have to improve school climate?

This is more of a question for administrators, but teacher involvement is important to this process, because, all too often, the decisions and strategies involved are being promulgated by those furthest away from the kids. Your only suggestion would be to increase the number of positive announcements and mailings that go home to parents, For example, does your school announce everyone that gets accepted to college or who receives a scholarship? Tell them you volunteer to do that because positive reinforcement is essential for students and staff alike and provides lots of positive PR for the school and the district. Besides, why should only sport successes be trumpeted in the morning announcements? Do not scholarly achievements deserve equal or better amounts of time? Everybody will be shaking their heads in the affirmative on this one. How can they argue with it? You can add, "and I say this as one who is an athlete and has played sports all of his life- academics must be the focus!"

QUESTION # 9

Do you have any questions for us or anything else you would like to share?

This is an important moment. Think about those people who are interviewing you. They are stuck there until you are done. They are your prisoners! They have asked you an open-ended question and have given you the floor! Do not blow it! Also, do not take up more than 3 minutes. Here is a suggestion:

Instead of the usual "Ah, Nope!" or "How soon will you be arriving at a decision?" you now play the Ace you have up your sleeve in the form of a letter from a special person who was speaking about you in glowing terms. We all have one of these. You say, "Yes, I have two things I would like to bring to your attention …" Here, you stand up which puts your head higher than everyone else- the power position- and with a bit of drama added you say that , you do not want to take up too much of their valuable time, but you would like to share one important point about yourself that you have highlighted in yellow as you give a copy of this letter to everyone in the room … " Notice here in the highlighted area where Professor ____ stated that of all students he has ever worked with, my passion and intellectual curiosity were by far the best he has ever seen at this level, etc … Returning slowly to your seat, you now mention that you would also like to add the following:

This is where you say something along these lines … Once again, I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you today. I know that you have many fine candidates for this position, so how do you distinguish them since they all have a degree and a fine transcript? Well, I also bring to the table my willingness to get involved in extra-curricular activities such as (do not mention coaching first, we want them to look at you as the "Renaissance" person that you are!) Student Government, Class Advisor, Dramatics, Coaching, etc. I think it's important that kids get to see you in a different setting than just the classroom, so I welcome the opportunity to get involved with extra-curricular things.

At that, you tell them that, unless they have any other questions, you are finished. They will thank you and tell you that you will be hearing from them soon. It's OK at this point to shake hands with the people in the room and thank them individually. There you have it. If you provide answers like those shown above you will be called back- or offered the job- that is, unless some unforeseen political matter dictates that the board has to select another person. This happens more than people want to admit, and if it happens to you, know that it was not your expertise but other factors beyond your control. Get ready for the next interview!

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Source by Daniel Chandler

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One little advertised strategy you should use when learning how to repair credit is applying for a passbook loan. This technique will give you great results when you choose to do it yourself. Basically all you have to do is deposit money into a blocked CD or savings account where you can not have access to the funds. You also surrender your passbook to the bank and waive any ATM privileges.

Not all banks offer this type of loan. You may have to spend some time trying to locate a nearby bank that offers one. Banks do not actively advertise this type of loan to people with financial issues on their record. If you can not find a local bank willing to offer one, a personal loan will accomplish the same thing. However, you may be required to secure a co-signer or provide some sort of collateral for the loan (but do not use your house).

When you find the right loan, be sure to go over these important features:

1) Be Sure It Reports To The Three Major Agencies

Make sure the lender supplies your payment history to the three bureaus. After all, this is the main reason you're taking out the loan. If you find the bank does not work with the three bureaus, move on to the next bank.

2) Find Out The Minimum Deposit

Ask the bank what the minimum deposit requirement is to open a passbook loan. Deposits can range anywhere from as little as $ 50 to as much as several thousand dollars. You need to find one that you can afford. When teaching my readers how to repair credit, I recommend a minimum passport loan of $ 1,000 if you can afford it. This amount is high enough to have a healthy impact on your FICO score when you do it yourself.

3) High High Is The Interest Rate ?

With these type of loans, do not expect the interest rate to be low when you have a record of financial problems. You should also expect the interest earned on the account to be less than the rate you pay on the loan. That's how the bank profits from your loan. You may question whether it's worth spending the extra money just to take out the loan, but let me assure you the benefits to your score make it well worth it.

4) What Are The Terms

You'll find most passbook loan terms to last anywhere from one to five years. For the best effect on your score, I recommend you take a minimum term of 12 months. This provides a long enough time to make a positive impact on your score. You also save on the interest payments.

5) What Is Your Borrowing Limit?

Banks will not lend up to the full amount of your deposit. You'll find they typically lend up to 80-95% of your deposit amount ..

Though a passport loan is not widely advertised to people with financial problems, it's a great tool to use as you learn how to repair credit and do it yourself.

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Source by Bobby Tan

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Memorizing the definitions of the most common Greek and Latin prefixes, roots, and suffixes will exponentially expand your reading vocabulary. Academic reading, especially in the social sciences and natural sciences are filled with words with Greek and Latin word parts. The verbal section of the SAT I is largely comprised of academic words having these word parts. Knowing even one word part of an unknown word greatly enhances the reader's ability to accurately and efficiently use surrounding context clues to figure out the meanings of these words. You will also increase your spoken and written proficiency by using Greek and Latin prefixes, roots, and suffixes. But, outside of becoming fluent in Greek and Latin, which Greek and Latin word parts have the highest frequency?

Most Commonly-Used Prefixes

This list, compiled by White, Sowell, and Yanagihara (The Reading Teacher, 42, p. 306), has the twenty most frequently-used prefixes. In fact these largely Greek and Latin prefixes make up 97% of all prefixed words. Prefixes listed are in frequency order.

1. un-not
2. re-again
3. in, im, il, ir-not
4. dis-away from
5. en, em-in
6. non-not
7. in, im-in
8. over-above
9. mis-not
10. sub-under
11. pre-before
12. inter-between
13. fore-in front
14.de-apart from
15. trans-across
16. super-above
17. semi-half
18. anti -against
19. mid-middle
20. under-too little

Frequently-Used Greek and Latin Roots

Following are the roots, meanings, origins, and example words. The roots are not in order of frequency.

1. struct-build, form-Latin-instruct
2. aud-hear-Latin-auditorium
3. mis-send-Latin-mission
4. astro-star-Greek-astrology
5. ped-foot-Latin-pedal
6. bio-life-Greek-biology
7. phon-sound-Greek-telephone
8. dict-say-Latin-predict
9. port-carry-Latin-import
10. geo-earth-Greek-geography
11. scrib-write-Latin-scribble
12. meter-measure-Greek-thermometer
13. scrip-write-Latin-scripture
14. min-little-small-Latin-minimum
15. spect-see-Latin-inspect
16. mit-send-Latin-transmit

Adapted from Stahl, SA and Shiel, TG, Reading and Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Disabilities, 8, 223-241

Fifteen Power Greek and Latin Words

These fifteen words have prefixes or roots that are part of over 15,000 words. That is as many words as most student dictionaries! Memorize these words and the meanings of their prefixes and roots and you have significantly improved your vocabulary.

1. inaudible (not, hear)
2. dismiss (away from, send)
3. transport (across, carry)
4. unsubscribe (not, under, write)
5. predict (before, say)
6. remit (again, send)
7. encounter (in, against)
8. offer (against, carry)
9. inspect (in, see)
10. epilogue (upon, word)
11. antigen (against, people)
12. empathy (in, feeling)
13. intermediate (between, middle)
14. destruction (apart from, build)
15. superimpose (over, in, put)

Adapted from Mark Pennington's, Teaching Spelling and Vocabulary, © Pennington Publishing

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Source by Mark Pennington

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Mental health professionals have a wealth of valuable, even crucial, information and expertise in which many people are in need.

One-on-one therapy is only one way we can deliver this expertise and help.

There are a number of possible ways therapists can create revenue streams while sharing their talents, expertise and skills with people in need.

Some of these ways are traditional and common, but others are rather innovative ways therapists are beginning to put their abilities to good use. In doing so, they are creating revenue streams.

Traditional Services

Although its time for therapists to think out of the box and develop new services that creatively meet the felt needs of niche markets, there is a place for the traditional therapeutic services.

These include psychotherapy for the DSM diagnoses, psychological testing and evaluation, marriage and family therapy and behavioral health care.

And, yes, people will forgo managed-care reimbursement and pay out of pocket for services that are of higher value because they are higher quality, offer real privacy and are truly customized for the individual needs.

One of the frustrations I hear from mental health care service consumers is that they can not find a specialized therapist in their managed-care insurance network.

It's as if managed care's philosophy is, "We'll help you obtain access to psychotherapy, but we do not care whether the therapist we connect you with is a specialist. A generalist is fine."

Set yourself apart and demonstrate your true value in the marketplace through specialization. Many people in the market for therapy value specialization.

Getting Published

A book is a powerful way to affect lives. It is also a good way to establish credibility, highlight your practice and services and position yourself in your niche.

And, it's easier than you think if you self-publish. It has become very affordable to do so, and it puts you in charge of the content, price and reprints.

It can actually be more profitable, too. You keep every dollar above your costs. If you went through a major publisher who sells a few thousand books, you would only receive the author's fee. You can make as much selling a few hundred copies of a self-published book yourself.

If your book is successful, you may even attract a large publisher to take over your book.

Writing a book opens doors to speaking engagements, media opportunities and a reputation in your niche market.

It also helps you to crystallize your thinking and enhances your effectiveness as a practitioner; it's a great exercise in that sense. You will learn a lot both in breadth and depth.

Take the opportunity now to brainstorm ideas for a book that's inside you.

It does not have to be long. One hundred pages is plenty.

Teaching

Teaching courses part-time at a local college or university can be an attractive stream of income.

I have been teaching as adjunct faculty in the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program at Widener University outside Philadelphia for several years and find it both rewarding and enjoyable.

Think about areas of special interest on which you could teach a course. Courses that adjunct faculty teach can be core curriculum in a graduate program, an undergraduate course or an elective.

I find that part-time professors who are practitioners have a lot to offer because they are immersed in what they teach. Students seem to appreciate this as well.

E-books

E-books are another medium in which you can package and share specialized information.

And e-book is a written piece of information that is distributed via the internet electronically. It is offered free or for a cost (typically $ 10 to $ 30) on a web site.

You can also submit an e-book to web sites that list hundreds of e-books to make them available to the public.

Tens of thousands of e-books are downloaded each year, and are changing lives for the better.

Perhaps you can make yours one of them.

Do you have a solution to a specific problem or can you research the answers?

The best e-books share answers to a specific problem.

E-book topics I have heard of recently include: how to write a eulogy, how to cope with a hysterectomy and the topic of recovering from fibromyalgia.

These are e-books written by non-mental health professionals. Imagine what information psychotherapists can offer in this just-in-time format.

E-books cost very little to produce and nothing to distribute. You can attach the file for an e-book to an email or make it downloadable from a web site.

A great e-book is not long. Many of the best are 10 to 35 pages long.

E-books offer short answers to problems readers want to solve, and are available to people quickly.

Good e-books are specific and do not contain general information. The key to marketability is communicating your precise answer to a specific problem.

E-Courses

E-Courses are similar to e-books, but they may be lengthier and delivered to readers one segment at a time. As the name implies, these can be formatted as guided self-study programs.

E-courses allow for the content to be integrated over a specific period of time. Each lesson can be a simple article or more in-depth with guided self-study. Write between five and 10 lessons, and you have a good e-course.

Written by a professional, a good e-course can bridge the gap between a reader learning new information and the reader applying that information to his / her life and making a behavioral change.

Personal Coaching

In sports, coaching is important to help an athlete develop a winning strategy, develop skills and execute the plan. The coach knows how the athlete can progress and move forward. He / she urges the athlete to set high goals and provides motivation, support, focus and encouragement.

Over the past 10 years, the field of professional coaching in personal development and business arenas has grown tremendously.

What is coaching? Personal coaching is a one-on-one professional relationship in which a client is assisted in achieving a personal, business or career goal.

What is the difference between coaching and therapy? Although coaches sometimes assist people with challenges and problems of various kinds, they do not try to help people overcome problems related to diagnosable conditions as found in the DSM.

Rather, coaches assist well-functioning people to attain greater levels of achievement and satisfaction in their personal lives, businesses or careers.

While therapy is remedial and restorative, coaching is developmental and growth-oriented.

Therapy heals mental and emotional infirmities, while coaching helps healthy individuals achieve more or reach important goals.

Personal coaches work with clients on a wide range of issues, such as coping with a problem or crisis, focusing their efforts on achievement, making career transitions, living more fulfilled lives, achieving life goals and building better relationships.

Other coaches assist people with business development or managerial or leadership development. These coaches are called business coaches or executive coaches.

While coaching is not always based on psychology, it often is. And many of the skills a coach uses are the skills in which therapists are trained. So, there is considerable overlap between coaching and therapy.

This is why many psychologists, counselors and therapists have found coaching attractive and transitioned into coaching either entirely or as a part of their practice mix. I am one of them.
In many ways, therapists have an ideal background to be coaches. But the differences between coaching and therapy are significant and important to keep in mind.

Therapists can make great coaches because of their insights into human motivation and behavior, their understanding of human development and life transitions, their communication and relationship skill and their sense of professional ethics, knowledge base and experience in helping people.

Live Workshops, Retreats, Trainings

Presenting live events such as seminars, workshops, retreats and training programs can be a very lucrative stream of income.

And, it can be a powerful way to affect peoples' lives.

The group setting allows learners to engage with your material and benefit from the collective knowledge and experience of the group.

Live programs can also be an introduction to your other services. Brief programs, such as a "lunch and learn," can be delivered for free as a solid marketing vehicle for your practice.

As a therapist, if you have developed and packaged your message into a program as recommended earlier, you have the makings of a great seminar or workshop.

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

Promoting a workshop or retreat is promoting your practice at the same time – and may be psychologically easier to do.

Consider adding a post-training element to your program. It could be a follow-up mini-workshop, a series of workshops or one-on-one work.

You can leverage the energy of a live event in many ways for additional revenue streams.

And, it is likely that some participants will choose to work with you after the event is over.

You will want to casually present your other offerings at the event. You may make it easier for them by having a sign-up sheet.

Teleseminars

A teleseminar (also called a teleclass) is a seminar held over the telephone, like a conference call.

The advantage of a teleseminar is the convenience. No one has to commute and the consumers dial to a bridge line at the specified time. No physical accommodations need be arranged; you only need to rent a telephone bridgeline.

Teleseminars can include people from all over the country, even internationally, at the same time.

Classes are typically 60 minutes long, but can vary. Often teleseminars are offered in a multi-class series.

Teleseminars are another way to offer your packaged content and introduce people to your services. Teleseminars can be offered for free to attract prospective clients and let them sample your services.

See [http://www.teleclass.com] for examples of what various professionals are offering. Or, do a search on Google for teleseminars or teleclasses. There are hundreds to browse and attend.

To get a better feel for how to conduct a teleseminar, attend some yourself.

Consulting

The goal of this book is to help mental health practitioners build thriving managed-care free private practices.
One of the themes I hope I have conveyed is that psychology is not just for DSM diagnoses.
While we have discussed ways to market traditional services, diversification is important, as it increases the chances we can generate sufficient income to operate outside of managed care.
Multiple streams of psychotherapy income can be developed in one's practice.

When I decided to build a manage-care free practice, I gave considerable thought to how

I could provide private-pay services. I explored how I could use my skills in ways that people would readily pay.

Many psychologists and other mental health professionals are successful in consulting in the workplace for the benefit of employees and employers. Business consulting can be a very lucrative income stream.

Like many practitioners, I found my skills could be applied in the business arena. Today, through a business I started called Leadership Concepts, I offer services in the areas of business consulting, executive, business and career coaching and seminars and workshops for businesses. This has proven to be a solid and growing income stream for me, and it is work I really enjoy.

Other ways to diversify into consulting include behavioral medicine, forensics and sports psychology.

Consulting is a very broad and diverse area, so I will not scrape the surface of the possibilities here. But perhaps I can give you good directions for exploration.

If this area is new for you, you will be surprised to find out the many valuable ways our psychology and mental health expertise can be of benefit to people in the workplace.
Our background makes us capable of assisting businesses with many different barriers to productivity.

To familiarize yourself with this terrain, I suggest you do a Google search using the keywords "business," "consulting" and "psychologist" and browse the web sites that come up.

Forensic Consulting

Another specific type of consulting is worth considering separately.

Forensic consulting has to do with psychological or mental health service specifically related to the court system.

Often times, a court has to deal with issues that impinge on mental health issues.

Some of these include:

Criminal cases

• Competency to stand trial
• Mental status at time of offense
• Mitigating factors in offenses
• Risk assessments, violence

Civil cases

• Emotional damages in personal injuries
• Assessments for malingering

Family cases and other

• Child custody evaluations
• Court-ordered psychological evaluations

In addition, attorneys often need help sorting out the issues when questions of a psychological nature occur in their cases. They retain psychologists and other experts to review files and help them prepare for depositions or cross-examination of experts.

Psychologists and other professionals can inform the court on issues, perform assessments and testify as experts.

Consultants in this area testifying as experts typically receive $ 1,000 to $ 2,000 for their testimony.

I find that this niche is an attractive one for several reasons:

• It is completely managed-care free
• It is interesting work
• It makes good use of our background
• It is lucrative
• It is a specialized area that many professionals find intimidating, which means less competition

If you find this an interesting prospect as a part of your practice, then I encourage you to begin taking some training workshops to familiarize yourself with the terrain.

Web sites

Revenue streams can be active or passive. Therapy sessions, therapy groups, workshops and consulting services are all active forms of revenue streams. You exchange your time and skills for a fee.

Passive revenue is revenue from streams that do not involve service delivery, but once set up, occur automatically 24/7. A common form of passive revenue is income from products sold on a web site.

Can you see the advantages of passive revenue? Can therapists develop passive revenue streams? You bet!

Therapists can productize their most useful expertise and offer information products to benefit others.

Some of these we already looked at, like books, e-books and e-courses. These can all be offered on a web site for web seekers to obtain and utilize to fill their needs.

There are other possibilities as well, such as licensing programs.

As an example of a passive revenue web site effectively offering information products to a specific niche, see TeachMeTeamwork.com.

Passive income streams utilizing the internet via web sites are a burgeoning area for many service professionals, but few mental health professionals are taking advantage of the potential so far.

This will be changing soon.

Active income streams can also be marketed on the internet.

Web sites can also be effectively used as a marketing tool for your fee-for-service practice. More and more therapists are putting up web sites and for good reasons.

A web site is your practice brochure, available any time, day or night, to seekers on the internet. People you meet, people who hear you give a presentation and people referred to you by another professional, can be directed to view your web site, find out more about you and, hopefully, be stimulated to contact you.

A simple, attractive, intriguing postcard sent to a mailing list can direct your niche market to your web site. Or, your yellow page ad in the phone book can include your web address.

A web site is much more than a brochure. It is also a potentially powerful marketing vehicle, when combined with internet marketing strategies.

If you decide to have a web site for your practice, or for a particular niche service, make it full of resources (articles and free information) that will attract people to it and make them want to spread the word.

Although beyond the scope of this article, internet marketing strategies can be developed to drive people to your web site.

Increasingly, people are beginning their search for products and services on the internet.

The yellow pages are not the first choice for many.

Are you effectively represented on the Internet?

Licensing Programs

After you have developed effective structured programs for your niches, you can license the use of these programs to other professionals.

Other therapists have been doing this for years. Psychologist Dr. Daniel Dana, a conflict resolution specialist, certifies mediators and licenses his program at MediationWorks.com.

Another example can be found at DifficultChild.com, as we mentioned previously. Howard Glasser, MA offers a parenting approach and program, as well as other materials, for ADHD children. His program involves a book, a training program for parents and a training and certification program for therapists.

His program is called "Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach."

One of my coaching clients is certified in this program and speaks highly of it.

Howard Glasser's web site actually models several streams of income, including a book, workshops, training other professionals, licensing or certification and internet marketing for all the above including his practice.

These "programs in a box" are typically complete turnkey therapy, counseling or consulting programs that therapists can purchase. They are usually complete, including the structured program itself, instructor materials, workbooks and also include marketing pieces you can use to generate business.

For those of you who want to do niche marketing but prefer not to do the creating part, you may want to find out whether someone has developed a program you can utilize to serve your niche.

Someone may have done the work for you.

If you can find a program suitable for your niche market, you could be a few days away from having a marketable service in your repertoire.

Training Other Professionals

When you have developed an effective program, you can leverage it by training others in your approach and methods.

Innovators in therapy have been training others for years. If you develop a specialization, program or niche service in a growing area, you may find many other therapists would like to learn from you.

Sometimes the innovation is mainly in how a service is packaged.

You can train other professionals via live workshops, self-study program packages and teleseminars.

Diversification by developing a number of streams of psychotherapy income increases the chances you can create sustainable income and can be rewarding in other ways too.

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Source by William Morgan

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INTRODUCTION

Tanzania is among African countries, which right after independence started to take measures on education developments through policies formulation, reviews, adjustments, and improvements. These measures include curriculum design and development for schools to meet national goals on education. English as one of the subjects taught in all education levels from primary school to tertiary level, its curriculum and teaching has being gone those changes since then. In viewing and analyzing the English syllabus used in Tanzanian schools particularly in ordinary level now, we should see the changes of last syllabus, which led to the current syllabus we have today. The last syllabus was introduced in 1996 and used up to 2005 where the current syllabus was introduced in use from January. The syllabus was improved to meet the needs, challenges and shortcomings of the former one. Students were given more activities; the syllabus focuses on student competencies rather than the former one, which focus more on contents. The syllabus was challenged that it did not bring competences that is why the standard of English has declined dramatically over the years, and the main cause of this decline is the insufficient teaching of English in schools following the English language syllabus. This was seen by Allen K. (2008) in 'What happened to our good English? And wrote:

'Syllabus and textbooks have caused this … Secondary school students only fare marginally better, and yet secondary and tertiary education is all in English. They may be able to engage in simple dialogue but normally only after they have asked for the question / sentence to be repeated at least once. Again, fluent, complicated structures are mostly not understood at all. Written English is a greater problem. How many secondary school students write the almost nonsensical 'How are you? On my side, I'm fine and going on well with my daily activities'. Recently talking to university graduates who were embarking on post-graduate studies their lack of confidence in the language was striking. To make conversation I needed to adopt very simple structures at a very slow, unnatural speed '.

This was also earlier seen by Cripe C & Dodd W. (1984) that suggested the authorities to work on a completely new syllabus for English language teaching in schools. Such a syllabus could take into account that many more pupils progress to secondary school from primary school without facing English language good foundation.

In that view, this paper analyze the contemporary syllabus, by using some of the criteria including appropriateness, feasibility, utility, adequacy, content, method, scope and consistency between grades. Others are internal consistency, clarity, and up-to-datedness. These criteria will be on its structure, objectives, strengths and weaknesses that avail. It is important to do so in order to improve the standard of English in Tanzania as proficiency in the language. This is because teachers as main guides for instruction in their classrooms use national English syllabuses and in examinations. The syllabus was designed and prepared by Tanzania Institute of Education under the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.

ANALYSIS

Before the analysis, the definition of syllabus is given as the summary of the course; usually contain specific information about the course. (Www.counselingcenter.uiuc.ed). Collins Essential English Dictionary defined syllabus as an outline or summary of the main points of a text or a course study. Syllabus analysis is the evaluation of the quantity of the syllabus (www.counselingcenter.uiuc.ed). So the purpose is to evaluate the quality of it developed by the institution.

The major areas analyzed in this ordinary level English syllabus are top cover, back cover, inside the top cover, part one and part two of it. The top cover present the title starting with United Republic of Tanzania on top then Ministry of Education and Culture now changed to Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, followed by English Language Syllabus for Secondary Schools, Form I – IV, 2005. Inside the cover on page (ii) copyright of the ministry is uttered followed by designed and prepared authority and address ie Tanzania Institute of Education. The next page (iii) is the table of contents.

The syllabus generally is divided into two main parts where the first is introduction, objectives of education in Tanzania, objectives of secondary education, general competence for Form I – IV, general objectives and organization of the syllabus. The second part consists of competences and objectives of the class followed by a table matrix layout, which shows topics, sub-topics, specific objectives, patterns / structures, contexts / situations, vocabulary / phrases, teaching / learning strategies, teaching / learning materials , assessments and number of periods with instructional time.

Introduction of the syllabus is well presented shortly expressing that the syllabus replaces the 1996 English Language edition, which has been phased out. It has been introduced for implementation from January 2005. The introduction could have been more attractive if it explained more the major reasons, which led to the phase out or change of the former one. Several inquiry skills and some inquiry levels are very briefly outlined in the introduction; it could be outlined to polish the part.

The objectives of education in Tanzania are clearly stated, meaningful and relevant to Tanzanian context as well as worldwide. They touch all disciplines of skills needed to the human being in the world. This is written the same in all syllabuses for subjects in that level nationally. The objectives are challengeable with the availability of resources in education both physical and human infrastructure in totality to cater the needs. In the report presented in the Conference of Commonwealth Ministers in Halifax, Canada 2000; by the minister of Education and Culture at the time says that; despite the government and the private sector efforts to provide secondary education in the country, the sub-sector had shortage of the science teachers especially in the rural areas, shortage of laboratories, shortage of equipments and other basic educational materials … It means that the objectives are clearly stated but not easy to achieve successfully.

The following section analyses the feasibility of the objectives of secondary education in Tanzania. The part started by defining the secondary education as a post primary formal education offers to learners who successfully completed seven years of primary education and have met the requisite entry qualification requirements. The objectives are stated to make the syllabus implement-able and feasible. However, it carries elements of behaviorists' approaches that emphasize the use of reinforcement and repetition. The challenge is how to fulfill the packages needed to meet those objectives. Obanya P. (2006) had seen it and pointed out that Africa is still trailing behind other regions of the world in its effort towards attaining the EFA (Education for All) goals. So to Tanzania among African countries. Further he said the successes and sustainability of the new vision of secondary school in African governments show an appropriate level of political will … stepping up the process of reform, mobilizing the required resources, ensuring a participatory process etc.

General competences for Form I – IV in part two are relevant and if they are to be, achieved changes are to be seen. Competences were added to this syllabus to meet the objectives of teaching English in secondary schools by focusing on the learner-centered education (LCE) rather than teacher centered education (TCE) which proved insufficient masterly of language formerly. Allen K; (Ibid) supported the transformation and said that things could have improved in the early 2000s with the opening up of the school textbook market to private publishers and the permitted multi-textbooks. However, the standards in teaching English had already declined by then, and many teachers were not equipped to be able to choose the best books for their purposes. Teachers have mostly taken the multi-textbook system to mean that they choose one book from a selection of many, and so they still effectively only use one textbook. In really sense, general competences collaborate with national objectives.

The syllabus has utility and efficacy that is why general objectives are outlined to enable the student acquires knowledge and skills to practice and use the language in specific settings and remarkable performances. They include speaking and writing skills, reading skills, communication and demonstration skills. These are form of skills which Burt C. et al (1933) categorized them as skills, concepts, relationships and strategies. They said that these four categories should not be thought of a hierarchically linked in the learning process, they are to large extent interactive. If a student acquire the outlined objectives thoroughly she / he would be competent to use English language in the world of information and communication technologies. It is clearly seen that these objectives were derived from the national objectives because they comply with them.

Class level competences are the statements, which specify the abilities that are expected to be attained by students before the class objectives found at the beginning of the content of each class level. Objectives are statements of behavior that are stated immediately after class competences to be exhibited by each student at the end of given class. These are achievable in a class of a recommended number of students not exceeding thirty five in class at a time and with the competence of a teacher. However, in Tanzanian crowded classes environment of more than sixty students is very difficult to achieve such objectives. Sumra S. (2000) pointed out that the education policy needs to clarify in focusing on 'inputs' or 'outputs' and the meaning of – what is expected of all teachers and how this will be monitored and measured. Pre and in-service needs to be focused on teacher competence. The effectiveness of human and physical infrastructures should be assured and realized in our schools so that the objectives are achieved.

Class level competencies and objectives in each Form are not the same. They are articulated according to the topics arrangements in specific Form and the behavioral changes intended. Class level competence is appropriate in scope versus students' ability level. The new approach shifts the orientation of the content largely, but not exclusively, away from the rote memorization of factual knowledge to a competence based learning, which focuses much more on the understanding of concepts, and the acquisition of skills and competences.

The organization of topics and sub-topics, which are in the first and second column of the syllabus layout, shows that are completely designed to students ability. They diminish in number sequentially and consistent as they go to upper Form. While in Form I, there were sixteen topics and twenty-four subtopics, in Form II there were eleven topics and fifteen subtopics. In Form III and IV, there were six and five topics, fifteen and fourteen subtopics respectively. Some topics recur more than once but in advanced form. For instance, 'Expressing Opinion and Feelings' appeared in Form I, II, and III. 'Talking about Events' and 'Interpreting Literary work' appeared in Form I and II, while 'Listening for Information from different Sources', 'Reading Literary Work' and 'Writing Appropriate Language Content and Style' appeared in Form III and IV respectively. However, the topics are consistent and have sequential arrangements. The entire syllabus has credential internal consistency between components and their content scope.

In organizing the topics and other sub-heading, the structure of the syllabus is in matrix form layout. Form I classes for example have sixteen topics and twenty-four subtopics. Both are relevant to their level and the continuity of topics is maintained accordingly from simple to difficult and there is a link between them. The same applies up to Form IV. The objectives in each topic and subtopics are clearly articulated from Form I – IV, to meet the behavioral change intended. The analysis of topics and sub-topics show that there is continuity within and link between topics because sub-topics are presented under the main topics. This enables a teacher to understand and relate the topics with concepts and ideas. Change of behavior is taken into consideration during planning the lesson to teach to make sure the autonomy is attained. Autonomy refers to student's ability to organize his / her own learning activities.

Patterns or structures and variety of activities are relevant and adequately in providing, enough learning in every Form presented in the syllabus. It suggests use of variety activities including demonstration, dramatization, dialogue oral and written drills, songs, role-plays and games. These activities bring a vital role to students to master language skills, however, the nature of most Tanzanian crowded classes and shortage of teachers, this is a challenge to achieve successfully.

Context / Situations are provided in abundance and this will depend on how the responsible teacher opts to them depending on the natural setting of learning environment. Natural setting help the students the knowledge of skills they attain in their environment even after school. Vocabularies and phrases option provided are enough and relevant to the level of students.

The syllabus is adequate because in teaching and learning strategies throughout the syllabus, students are intended to develop fully speaking, writing, listening and arguing skills. They are adequately assisting the learners to attain the objectives. It is recommended that the list is not exhausted that the teacher will use more strategies depending on the needs where necessary. These include ear training, pronunciation and writing by using directives given in patterns / structures in third column of the syllabus.

There is no doubt about teaching and learning materials because they are well presented and suggested. The only slight doubt is that in rural areas, it might be difficult to access on television, video and audio cassettes because of shortage of power supply but with initiatives, it can be solved out. The levels of inquiry require students to be able to do something in the assessment and this is very well articulated in the part. There are one hundred and eighty four periods in a year, which shows at least there are seven periods in Form I and II; six periods in a week for Form III and IV. Each period is forty minutes.

The syllabus does not give suggestions, advice, or alternative program or prospectus to be used together or in place of itself. Again, it does not provide a list of selected text and reference books. It would be better if at least five textbooks and five reference books could be suggested in each topic. The national English syllabus serves as one of the main resources for English teaching and learning in secondary schools. Each teacher is given a copy of the national syllabus as a guide for the scope and depth of the content to be taught.

Inquiry is explicitly emphasized in the assessments section in the secondary school syllabus. This syllabus aims at stimulating pupils' curiosity and sense of enquiry which will in turn not only provide suitable basis for further study of the subject but also provide students with sufficient knowledge and understanding to make them become useful and confident citizens. The essence of such an enquiry is related to problem solving and reflecting on modern enterprise. During the course, students should acquire language abilities associated with language competences. Students should develop second language attitudes such as open mindedness and willingness to recognize alternative language skills of view. Moulali S. (2006) said that the main objective of education quality improvement is to have a market responsive curriculum, with an efficient and effective delivery system that enables the recipient to become confident in modern enterprise.

In the assessment also, the teacher is required to make sure that students are assessed in all objectives into considerations of learning outcomes. It is explained that assessment provides room for fairness as well as enhancing students' development of high level of thinking. The teacher must assess students in all language skills using paper pencil assessment, interviews, observation, portfolios, projects and questionnaires. These are the most techniques for active and participative learning. Active learning or learner-centered education (LCE) is considered an effective antidote to the prevalence of teacher-centered instructional classroom practices, which is widely claimed to support passive learning, and the stifling of critical and creative thinking (Rowell and Prophet 1990). The promotion of LCE is directly associated with high development ambitions, such as economic development, or social restructuring. LCE fits well modern pedagogical ideals for focusing on the provision of a platform for developing knowledge, skills and competencies for innovation, social development and economic growth. LCE requires a move from the commonly pure content learning and the memorization of facts to the ability of learning-to-learn, to the inclusion of methodological and social skills and competencies into the learning process, to the understanding of generic higher order concepts.

DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In totality the syllabus is well organized and presented successfully to meet the intended outcomes. It has the desirable aspects of quality, continuity, autonomy and discussion. It is also updated because it is relevant to current situation of the nation and the world as a whole. Such current issues include HIV Aids in Form II, ozone layer depletion global warming and environmental conservasation in Form III.

The objectives and competences are clearly constructed and stated to meet intended outcomes including national and individual goals in English language skills. Language is vital for everyone to communicate and this is where the access to cognitive skills, knowledge, technologies, attitudes and values ​​can be obtained. The objective of this syllabus is to have a responsive curriculum that addresses the skill needs of the population and an efficient and effective delivery system of the curriculum. This would mean an adequate and qualified number of teachers, as well as sufficient and appropriate teaching and learning materials O-saki, K., & A. Ndabili. (2003). They should be available in all schools to raise student achievement, and appropriate mechanisms for testing learning competencies. This is a challenge in Tanzanian context but (World Bank Report 2007) said that to achieve education goal emphasis must be directed in expanding facilities through the provision of development grants to schools. Policy measures such as raising the average number of students per teacher, increasing the average number of teaching periods per week, increasing class size, especially at upper secondary, expanding open and distance learning programs, reducing tuition fees by half, and providing scholarships to students from poor household.

As previously mentioned the syllabus does not list a number of text and reference books to use at least five each Form. This is left to school administration and subject teacher to choose various books to use. This is a very good decision but the challenge is; can all schools manage to buy these books according to the needs? The answer is no even private schools in spite of their school fees collection can not affect their textbooks needs. African Development Bank, (2000) remark that the bulk supply of textbooks to schools was found to be inefficient as the supply of the books is not always based on accurate information about the schools. This approach of providing textbooks also does not encourage the flourishing of local publishers and local book suppliers. Under SEDP (secondary education development program), the schools are receiving capitation grants which they use for the purchase of learning and teaching materials, including textbooks. This enables the schools to procure the books they need and in the quantities they can afford, but not the recommended needs.

The assessment section of the syllabus state that at the end of Form IV students are expected to do an overall achievement assessment intended to determine the extent to which the objectives of English course have been attained. This can be attained if in all stages of teaching and learning process, (LCE) was adhered with sufficient supply of learning materials. Several studies indicate that implementation of LCE in the classroom is problematic (Jansen 1999; Chisholm 2000; Leyendecker 2002; Ottevanger 2001). Where Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries have attempted to implement learner-centered education, the actual instructional processes were largely far removed from the ideal. One of the problems is that the teacher is regarded by the societies and culturally determined understandings of authority and teaching, including students' perceptions, as the provider of knowledge and the bearer of authority. These perceptions and the resulting classroom behavior will not change overnight. Although Prophet's report dates back to 1995, his observation that teachers rather adapt their teaching to suit their and their students "world view" and perceptions on teaching, is continuously repeated and supported by other studies.

Another challenge is that, contrary to the pedagogical ideal, the vast majority of students are not very active and visible, probably because they have never given the chance. Although there is little research about students' experiences of curriculum reforms, numerous comments and observations, point to the fact that students struggle with their new roles, which they are assigned by the intended curriculum changes. Students frequently share with teachers a common perception about what it means to teach, and are resistant to changes not fitting this perception. What is more, students' attitudes concerning learning and discipline have embraced aspects of international youth cultures. Students welcoming the opening of classrooms and the change from strict classroom organization and discipline, have problems in meaningfully filling the added space and freedom. Students are powerful influencers of change, and can be obstructive if the required attitudes and instructional practices do not fit their expectations. This is happening in various secondary schools in our country. Both student and teachers can not jump from the current classroom situation and culture to a desirable ideal behavior. It needs transitional time for changes to be instilled in the mind of teachers and students. However, both can gradually grow and adapt to the new roles that are beneficial to teaching and learning. For such a process of growth to take place, support structures should to be available, but these are often absent or very limited in scope and time lines.

SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION

As to conclude, the main practical challenges for the improvement of syllabus and instructional quality that are frequently neglected for the development is that, teachers need to have sound knowledge of the content matter to be flexible to adjust to different ways of student thinking, and to be able to relate to the emerging questions and problems without being challenged in his position. Due to their own learning experiences and education, the content knowledge of many teachers in Tanzanian classrooms is limited, so in-service programs to sharpen teachers knowledge is essential. Teachers need to have a sound knowledge of instructional methodologies, their aims and potentialities. Teachers need assistance and space for learning about instructional methodologies. Teachers' roles change from providers of knowledge to facilitators, and the changes in roles need to be both comprehended and accepted by teachers, students, and the society alike.

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Source by Eugene Shayo

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In the early 90's California teachers were getting released in record numbers. There was a huge budget crisis, districts were raising class sizes and eliminating classrooms, which meant many of us had to go. I was a second year teacher, untenured. I received my goodbye notice in March then set out scrambling to find another position.

I found myself interviewing in the growing community of Moreno Valley. I felt I was ready for anything, but I'll never forget the interviewer asking my about my style of teaching. He asked, "Would you consider yourself a Sage on the Stage or a Guide on the Side?"

What a great question. Simply asking the question implies so much. If I say that I am a Sage on the Stage, immediately I might be considered a micromanager. A power hungry control freak of a teacher who needs his / her students to act only on command. Or even worse, I might be seen as a showoff whose main goal in teaching is to hear ones' own voice.

As I sat in the interview room, it seemed the more politically correct answer would be the Guide on the Side. "Guide" does not seem like such a loaded word as "Sage". A guide leads the way. A guide points out facts. Guides know what pitfalls to avoid.

I had to make a snap answer. It's been almost two decades, and I still think about my response. I expected that in time, I would make revisions to my answer. Surprisingly, I feel still feel good about the response I gave.

Basically, I believe that there are times when a teacher needs to be the Sage on the Stage and times when the teacher needs to get out of the way and be a guide on the side. Additionally, I've seen very effective teachers who can work a class, create amazing discussions, and help students construct learning all from the front of the class. By contrast, I've seen other teachers who spend very little time in front of a class, choosing to do most of their teaching in groups. Therefore, the situation and the personality of the teacher play a great role in the debate: Sage on the Stage or Guide on the Side.

Reflecting on the question "Sage" or "Guide" is not a bad idea. My philosophy in teaching, as well as life, has always been balance and moderation. There have been times when I've been stuck in the Sage or Guide roll for longer than is necessary. Just asking yourself the question might lead to some meaningful soul searching and deeper understanding about yourself as a person and a teacher.

The Merits and Demerits of the Sage on the Stage

There are definite merits to the Sage on the Stage approach. The teacher on his / her stage, managing the flow of information is definitely faster than the Guide on the Side. I've tried to incorporate "guide on the side" strategies for my grammar lessons, but I've found that direct instruction works best when introducing initial concepts. I may use "guide" strategies to aid mastery of the information. However, there are dozens of grammar and punctuation skills the students are required to learn in ten months which does not lend itself to the Guide on the Side philosophy.

This benefit is also the biggest argument against the Sage approach. As more and more demands are heaped upon teachers, it is easier to get through the curriculum with this method. However, besides being exhausting for the teacher to be on the stage all day, students require time to digest and process information. Sage techniques such as lecture and group discussion tend to favor the quick thinkers. These students do most of the critical thinking for the class. Consequently, the majority of the class misses out on this important skill.

The Merits and Demerits of the Guide on the Side

I recently began a sixth grade unit on the Hebrew's exodus from Egypt like this:

Imaging that you were a guest in someone's house. After a few weeks, you realized that you were doing all the chores in the house, your mom was cooking all of the meals, and your dad began to pay all of the bills. You were once a guest in this house. Now, what have you become?

The students had to read the material from their social studies books and explain how the Hebrews were like your family in the story. The connections they found were excellent. The follow up discussion continued to bear fruit as one group after another pointed out new ways to look at the analogy. I was a guide on the side, interjecting hints along the way.

The follow up to this was that the students had to create the second part of my "guest" analogy. They read about Moses and the Exodus and had to create an analogy about how they were able to move out of the house where they had become slaves.

The lesson was time consuming, but very effective. As effective as it was, I noticed that there were still things that I needed to teach the students directly. Many students, having no background knowledge on the topic, needed me to put this time in history into context. Once again, I was back to being the Sage on the Stage.

Final Thoughts

The moral of this story is that the art of teaching is knowing when to be the "guide" and when to be the "sage". Once again I return to my original point: Simply asking yourself the question "What Kind of Teacher Am I?" is enough to help make you a better teacher. Being ever mindful of the balance between the two provides the opportunity for the self-reflection we all need.

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Source by David S Dye