About.com Secondary Education

Help for Student Teachers

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:32:30 +0000

Many student teachers are in the middle of their teaching internships. In my experience, the student teaching experience varies from one person to another. You might have a great group of students or a challenging group. You might have a wonderful cooperating teacher or one who doesn't provide you with enough guidance. Hopefully these top ten tips for student teachers can help make the student teaching experience more successful in the short and long term. Student teachers and their instructors can use these top ten tips to help them be more effective in their initial teaching assignments.

Help for Student Teachers originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 00:32:30.

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Holding Classroom Debates

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:11:43 +0000

In cities across America tomorrow, citizens will be casting votes for new governors, representatives, senators, mayors, and other public officials. In honor of this, here is a great class debate how-to that can be used across the curriculum. The tips and ideas found here can help a classroom debate be successful, educational, and an enjoyable experience for the students.

How to Hold a Class Debate

And for more civics information, check out the American Government Course Outline.

Holding Classroom Debates originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 00:11:43.

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Fire Drills

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:24:04 +0000

Fire drills are a part of every teacher's life. In order for a fire drill to be effective while causing the least headaches for you, you will want to make sure that you plan ahead and remain in control. Here is a list of the top actions you can take to prepare for and lead during a fire drill.

Fire Drills originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 00:24:04.

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Top 12 Worst Things a Teacher Can Do

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:59:00 +0000

While many articles and books explain what a teacher should do to be effective, this list of the top twelve worst things a teacher can do shows you what you should avoid as a new or veteran teacher. Any of these can create problems for you as a teacher and if you combine two or more than just expect to really have a hard time gaining student respect and finding your profession enjoyable.

Top 12 Worst Things a Teacher Can Do originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 00:59:00.

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Importance of Teacher Planning Time

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:29:30 +0000

Teacher planning and preparation is a key part of effective teaching. However, this is an area that often faces cuts when dealing with issues like increasing the number of periods in a day, reducing the number of days each week that students come to school, or putting schools on double schedules. It almost appears that there is a lack of concern over the importance of planning time. In school districts across the nation, many teachers already get too little time to accomplish too many tasks before any cuts are made. Educational policy makers fail to see why more than a few minutes of before-class preparation is necessary. This article about planning time and budget cuts looks at why planning time is so important for teachers to be effective and still have a life outside of school. You can also check out these example planning periods to see what often happens to the little planning time that teachers get.

Importance of Teacher Planning Time originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 00:29:30.

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Importance of a Smaller School

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:54:40 +0000

Here in the state of Florida, schools have been hit hard with the latest legislative budget. Unfortunately, this will probably result in combining schools into larger ones in an effort to save money. However, research has shown that smaller schools are in fact much more effective than larger ones. Here is an article that talks about different aspects of a small school versus that of a large school. Smaller schools provide administrators the ability to have better control and allow for more one-on-one interaction.

Importance of a Smaller School originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 00:54:40.

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Halloween Math

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:27:01 +0000

Here are some cute Halloween-themed math word problems you can use with your students. Enjoy!

Halloween Math originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 00:27:01.

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Halloween Lesson Ideas

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:24:24 +0000

No matter how old the student, chances are he or she'll feel cheated if you do nothing to recognize one of children's best loved holidays, Halloween. Hoping to make the holiday fun for you and your students, here are some awesome activities and lesson ideas that you can add in for fun.

Halloween Lesson Ideas originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 00:24:24.

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Grade Contracts

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:24:16 +0000

Teachers often struggle with how to get students to achieve at a higher level. Sometimes the answer is greater buy-in and ownership by the students. Grade contracts are one tool that some teachers use to great effect to get students motivated and put them in greater control. However, there are correct and incorrect ways to use grade contracts and they are definitely not for all students. Learn more about grade contracts and how you might be able to use them to help your students achieve better grades.

Grade Contracts originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 00:24:16.

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Creating Effective Assessments

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:36:30 +0000

Some teachers take time during the summer to go through and revamp their curriculum. One of the most important parts of a teacher's lessons are the assessments. Creating questions and test items might seem easy on the surface, but a lot of thought must go into test creation to make it effective. These tips and strategies can help you become a better and more effective test creator.

Creating Effective Assessments originally appeared on About.com Secondary Education on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 00:36:30.

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