the school

Teaching Studies

At this point in my teaching practice I feel that I am ready to discuss matters relating to effective delivery of lessons. I have worked particularly closely at this aspect of teaching and will bring to light my very own thoughts, experiences and future goals that I have managed to set myself. The most important of all these is the fact that I feel that changes can be made in terms of becoming a better teacher or at least I understand that there is a need for evaluating oneself and learning from the evaluation lessons which cannot be learned through theory alone.

The very first lesson I learned in becoming an effective teacher is that children learn better when they are interested, motivated and can clearly see what the teacher is presenting to them. This is also stressed in the 2004 Qualifying to teach handbook. The standards S3.3.3 also stresses the importance of promoting active and independent learning and that children should take some responsibility to manage their own learning.

On this paper I will focus on the areas mentioned above and would also like to look into differentiation as another instrument for delivering effective lessons. On my teaching practice I have now covered a substantial number of lessons in the core subjects on which I will base my writing. My very first lesson I taught began with a numeracy lesson. I had observed a number of numeracy lessons delivered by the class teacher already. The teacher employed a number of effective strategies to motivate the year 1 and 2 numeracy group. For e.g. the teacher introduced a number locking method by which children took the biggest number and locked it inside their heads and then added the smaller number by the use of their fingers. This method was so effective that it could also be done with subtractions as well as additions.

The method was not part of the school strategies but one that the class teacher discovered herself. It was a method that did not involve the use of equipment and could be practiced anywhere in the class and even on the playground. I found myself instantly employing this strategy to teach my numeracy lessons. I have also learnt from my observations of the class teacher ways to engage children and capture their attention through clear explanations and motivating children to discuss questions and to work collaboratively. For e.g. the teacher allows the children to pair in groups to discuss a particular answer or ways of working out a particular equation. This is part of the school targets of promoting dialogue between children. This really works well as children are very keen to share answers with one another and those in year 1 usually benefit from talking to a year 2 classmate. I maintained this process of encouraging children to discuss among themselves and found that I successfully captured their interest and enthusiasm for numeracy.

I found myself very motivated in planning my numeracy lessons as I began to employ interactive methods of learning and ways that really encouraged children to participate. This motivation was extended to other lessons I taught. For instance, in Literacy I did a lot of interactive work during carpet sessions, modelled exactly what I wanted children to do and consistently asked if the children were clear in their objectives. I employed the school policy of using different colours to highlight the emphasis on different things. Even the writing of the date on the whiteboard was done in colour code so as to stress the importance of writing the date. I feel that these small interactive moments and focusing on school policies and maintaining these practices helped to deliver my lesson very effectively.

I took the initiative to introduce a new rule in the class. This decision came about due to behaviour management needs. I found myself that while I was delivering lessons and capturing children’s interests on the other hand I was not balancing my behaviour management on the same level. This was a problem I had to address in order to continue the practice of delivering effective lessons. This is where I introduced the ‘name mats’. Name mats were given to each child to sit on. This ensured that children did not move around from place to place while on the carpet. This did not eradicate behaviour problems but helped me to focus more on my lesson delivery.

I have found myself adapting to the class teacher’s differentiation methods. The class operates in a colour code system where the red group is the lowest achieving, the blue and green are average and the yellow and orange being the above average group. The colour code system has always been in place in the school but care is taken that the red group is not made to feel like the lowest achievers but more as a part of a normal group. Hence a lot of my planning involved incorporating the red group into the whole of the lesson and making them a part of the whole class yet providing them with work that is appropriate for their level.

Aspects of differentiation proved to be the most challenging for me to manage. I simply ran out of ideas of different activities for different lessons and to maintain this week after week proved to become very difficult. I engaged in discussions with my mentor and class tutor and also began to participate in the P.P.A. sessions with other year 1 and 2 teachers. This decision helped me to overcome my difficulties in providing stimulating and interesting modes of differentiation to the class. My overall experience in teaching so far has been one of learning and moving on from strengths to strengths to deliver effective lessons. I still have a lot of work to do in terms of making my lessons more interactive and differentiating in such a way that does not hinder the learning experiences of the lower ability groups. In light of my experience so far, I believe that I am aware of the essential elements of delivering effective lessons.

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Online Nursing School – What You Can And Can’t Get From An Online Nursing Degree

An online nursing degree sounds like a dream come true, with the long waiting lists to get into traditional nursing schools. And there are many advantages to taking courses online; no commuting to school, no searching for parking spaces, and the ability to do your coursework at a time that’s convenient to you while you tend to your work and family commitments.

However, the fact is, there is no such thing as an online nursing school which allows you to get your nursing degree completely online. You can not start out, with no nursing experience, and get an Associate’s Degree in Nursing online.

What there are, however, are schools which offer LPN to RN nursing degrees, Paramedic to RN nursing degrees, and respiratory therapist to RN nursing degrees. These types of programs are not only offered by private career colleges such as Chamberlain, they are also offered by some community colleges and state universities – which means are usually much cheaper than the “career colleges”.

The reason for this is pretty clear; one of the most important parts of a nurse’s education is not the time he or she spends in the classroom, but the time spent in the hospital or other medical setting, learning to work with patients under the direction and observation of a Registered Nurse. Realistically, nobody would want to have their health and life in the hands of a nurse whose entire education was obtained online.

Before choosing an LPN to RN online transition program, it is important to contact the State Board of Nursing to make sure that the school you are considering is accredited in your state. Some states do not accept LPN to RN online programs. Some states accept those programs, but not paramedic to online programs. Make sure that you will be able to sit for the NCLEX-RN once you have completed your program.

There are also LPN to BSN nursing school programs online, and RN to BSN, and Master’s Degree in Nursing online programs. Once you take have conquered that all important first step of getting licensed as an LPN or paramedic, it becomes much easier to progress with your medical career.

To get an Associate’s Degree or Bachelor’s Degree in nursing, you will also need a number of prerequisite courses. These usually include Anatomy & Physiology I and II, college level algebra, psychology, nutrition, human grown and development, sometimes a speech course, college level English, and microbiology. Most of these courses can be taken online, either through your local community college – which will be cheapest – or through your online nursing school.

So while you can’t get your nursing degree online from start to finish, online nursing degrees do exist in the form we’ve discussed, and offer you great flexibility and the ability to advance your career and command a higher salary.

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How to Research Financial Aid and Scholarships For Nursing School

Today nursing is one of the fastest-growing and high-demand professions in the United States. It is one of the few professions that not just provide you with an opportunity to aid people, but also offer you the best option to be the part of the fast-paced yet an exciting medical field. Today getting into a nursing school can be a big commitment, and completing the program actually requires a good financial support. No doubt, nursing is the costly education field. However, if we look at the present scenario to get into the best nursing school you do not requires having a big bank balance.

With the accessibility of various options such as scholarships and financial aids you can effectively complete your education. Having a nursing scholarship is not that hard as it may sound to you. The key is to find the right platform. So, if you are thinking about getting a nursing scholarship or any sort of financial support then here are few possible yet effective ways that may in turn help you find the right source to have aid.

  1. Your nursing school can be the first and the most ideal place where you can start your scholarship search. Therefore, check whether the nursing you are approaching to have an admission is actually providing scholarship opportunities for new students or not. Try to have the contact to the admission department and inquiry about the scholarships they offer. Though, you may even visit the school website and search for their Financial Aid section.
  2. Another good place to start your search and find scholarship opportunities can be your local public library. At your local public library you can find many nursing educational books or magazines that may contain listings of scholarships.
  3. Use different search engine to find the best nursing scholarship or financial aid that you can apply for. Surfing internet can be the cost competitive and time saving option and in turn let you access freely available information. This simple process ay help you find websites filed with information regarding the financial aids, student loans as well as grants available on the federal, local or state levels.
  4. Another place to look for nursing scholarship financial aids can be the various companies that have a deep interest in the healthcare or nursing field. Many of them offer a great fund program that may let you have money and complete your education in a healthcare field.

Apart from all this, you may also look for or visit the websites of different charitable foundations, banks, community and civic groups and professional organizations that also offer financial aid for young and talented students.

You must note that finding a nursing scholarship is that hard or difficult as it may seem. Following the few above mentioned points might help you where to approach. Once you locate the source then try to have the scholarships. At times it may be time consuming, but correct approach may help you get the proper financial aid and complete your nursing education and training.

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Certified Nursing Assistant – A Closer Look

When most people hear the term “Certified Nursing Assistant” (better known as CNA), the first thing that comes to mind is a career in a nursing home. While it’s true that this is probably the industry’s biggest demand for CNAs, there are other places to use this certification. But what exactly is a CNA, and how can it work for you?

The Certified Nursing Assistant is a person who aids in the daily care of those needing nursing care. Think there’s nothing to the job? Think again.

One of the first things many nurses say they learned is that nursing isn’t about dispensing medicines, giving shots or even taking orders from the doctor. It’s all about learning to listen to your patients. The CNA training takes that to a very basic level and the job of the CNA is often vital to the effective medical treatment of other health care professionals. For example, the CNA who spends the most time with a nursing home patient may be the first to notice a change in that person’s attitude that reflects a serious medical condition or a reaction to a change in their drug regimen. And while some people are simply observant enough to notice those kinds of things, learning what to do with the information is a vital part of the training for the Certified Nursing Assistant.

But is there anything else you can do with CNA training other than work in a nursing home? CNAs are also commonly called on for home visitation. Typically, these are older people or those with disabilities who have trouble performing routine daily tasks. The CNA may help the person get a bath or handle other chores. Think it’s not that important. Consider it from the view of the person receiving the help. Without the services of that CNA, that person would likely be moved to a nursing home, rehabilitation facility or be forced to live with relatives – devastating for some people.

Some daycares and schools also employ CNAs to help handle minor health issues at school. While these CNAs don’t dispense medication or do any of those jobs handled by a nurse, they do use their training to help children with health issues and help the school deflect problems before they become serious issues. A CNA for a school will quickly learn to spot infections and to help curb the spread of problems such as ringworm.

CNAs may also work in rehabilitation programs or similar facilities. While licensed professionals will do therapy, the CNAs often have more time to devote to patients, meaning they develop relationships and become an integral part of the recovery process.

If you’ve considered a job in health care – especially in nursing – the CNA could be just what you need. You can work in the industry while you’re working on your degree in nursing as an LPN or RN. On the other hand, you may very well find that a Certified Nursing Degree isn’t a stepping stone to some other career, but is a rewarding career in itself.

If the allure of a nursing career appeals to you, check out the links below.

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Learning Difficulties In Children – Symptoms And Coping Issues To Overcome These Difficulties

Today many children undergo lot of stress related to academics from a very early age. Coping up with the activities, curriculum and relation to the school environment is an everyday challenge. These children have difficulty in following the instructions, or read, write do certain other task related to academics, which in turn hamper their overall development and eventually become a target of peer rejection, leading to low self esteem and shame for oneself. Children undergoing such a situation are the ones having “Learning Difficulties”.

Learning Difficulties is generally referred to the chronic difficulties in learning to read, write, spell, or calculate. Though their causes and nature are still not fully understood. Presence of a learning disability does not indicate subnormal intelligence, but it is thought that learning-disabled are neurologically based difficulty in processing language or figures. These difficulties can overcome by special learning strategies or with extra effort and tutoring on the part of parents and teachers. Examples of learning disabilities include difficulty in reading (dyslexia), writing (dysgraphia), and mathematics (dyscalcula). Learning disabilities may be diagnosed through testing, and children may be enrolled in programs offering special help. Children usually show early signs of Learning Difficulties, if these signs are left unrecognized, learning disabilities may result not only in poor classroom performance but also in low self-esteem and disruptive behaviour.

Some of the early symptoms of Learning difficulties are:

  • Poor performance in group tests.
  • Difficulty discriminating size, shape, color.
  • Reversals in writing and reading.
  • Slow in completing work.
  • Poor organizational skills easily confused by instructions.
  • Difficulty with abstract reasoning,sequencing, calculations as well as problem solving.
  • Gets distracted easily and is hyperactive.
  • Lags in developmental milestones in terms of physical- motor, language, mental and social adjustment.

When considering all the given symptoms, as a parent you should very well know that each child is a different individual. No child will show all the listed symptoms. Some symptoms maybe common as compared to other ones.

You as a Parent should keep in mind certain issues which can help your child to come out of learning difficulty.

  • Accept them for what they are according to their age of development and potentials and have a realistic expectations and demands.
  • Listen to your children as much as you can. This way you will come to your child’s strength and weakness.
  • Look for and encourage their strengths, interests, and abilities and overcome their limitations and difficulties.
  • Reward them with praise, good words, smiles, and pat on the back as often as you can.
  • Involve them in various family activities. Tell them when they misbehave and explain how you feel about their behavior, then let them come up with their own behaviour correction strategy.
  • Help them to correct their errors and mistakes by showing or demonstrating what they should do. Do not nag! Nagging will aggravate the problem.
  • Give them reasonable chores and a regular family work responsibility whenever possible.
  • Provide toys, games, motor activities and opportunities that will stimulate them in their development.
  • Read enjoyable stories to them and with them. Encourage them to ask questions, discuss stories, tell the story, and to reread stories.
  • Increase their ability to concentrate by reducing distracting objects in the environment around.
  • Do not get hung up on traditional school grades! It is important that they progress at their own rates and be rewarded for doing so.
  • Take them to libraries and encourage them to select and check out books of interest.
  • Help them to develop self-esteem and to compete with self rather than with others.
  • Insist that they cooperate socially by playing, helping, and serving others in the family and the community.
  • Serve as a model to them by reading and discussing material of personal interest. Share with them some of the things you are reading and doing.
  • Consult with teachers or other specialists whenever you feel it to be necessary in order to better understand what might be done to help your child learn.

Children with learning difficulties need lot of love, understanding and patience from parents. Its only you who can help your child to cope up with the situation and overcome their difficulties, hence giving them a wonderful life ahead.

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