Posts by techsupport
Overcoming Study Barriers
Many students avoid studying because of barriers they place upon themselves. These barriers can be easily overcome. Teach your students to recognize these barriers and how to overcome them. Hungry. Studying takes energy. A student will not have much energy if he or she is experiencing a low blood sugar level. Tell your students to have a…
Read MoreImportant Character Traits
Psychologists have long emphasized that character is significantly related to success in school and later in life. Recent research has identified the seven most important character traits for success. As a teacher, you should do whatever you can to foster and strengthen these traits in your students. The seven most important character traits are: zest grit self-control social…
Read MoreCiting Sources
Once students reach high school, they will be writing more papers than in their previous grades. Be certain that your high school students are familiar with the three most common ways of citing sources when writing papers. Parenthetical citations. Key information that identifies the source is provided in parentheses after the cited information. For a…
Read MoreEducational Software
It has probably crossed the mind of every teacher that teachers may become replaced by technology. Billions of dollars have been invested by major education companies in the development of sophisticated software to teach students reading and math skills. Despite the grandiose claims made by these companies, results have not matched the hype. Comprehensive reviews…
Read MoreQuestions Answered by Adjectives
In their writing, students often use simple sentences that lack interest. Encourage your students to use adjectives in their writing when they describe people, places, and things. Using adjectives will add interest and flavor to your students` writing. Be certain that your students know that adjectives answer the following questions about nouns and pronouns. Which…
Read MoreTypes of Sentences
Students should know that when writing, the type of sentence they use at a given place must be tied to the purpose of the sentence. Review these four types of sentences and the purpose of each with your students. 1. Use a declarative sentence to make a statement or express an opinion. End this type of sentence with a period.…
Read MorePromoting Student Focus
Students can lose their focus for several reasons. They may lose their focus because they find the work they are doing boring. They may lose their focus because of emotional distractions such as problems at home. Or, they may lose their focus because they are trying to do too many things as once (i.e., multitasking). If…
Read MoreWeekly Progress Report
Report cards are a valuable means of providing feedback to both students and their parents. For some students, it is important to provide formal feedback on a more frequent basis (i.e., weekly). Weekly Progress Reports can meet this need. Grades for the week should be provided for effort, achievement, and behavior. The student is required to…
Read MoreStudent Responsibilities
Adults recognize that they have many responsibilities. Students don`t always realize that they too have responsibilities. Make certain that your students realize that they have the following responsibilities. Attend class regularly and punctually. Complete assignments. Perform assigned tasks to the best of their ability. Demonstrate appropriate work habits. Work productively. Stay on task.
Read MoreMetacognition
Metacognitive thinking involves one`s reflecting upon their own thinking and learning. Your students will learn more effectively if they use the following metacognitive strategies as they seek to accomplish a task. Organize and plan. Students should set goals for the task and plan how to meet them. Manage. Students should set their pace for accomplishing…
Read MoreKnowing a Word
There is more to knowing a word than just knowing one or two definitions for the word. To know a word, your students must be able to: pronounce the word correctly. spell the word correctly. use the word in a sentence. know some words that have similar roots. For example, in the word rupture, the…
Read MoreSustained Silent Reading
Sustained Silent Reading is an independent reading technique that has been around since 1970. Students are provided with a block of time during the day during which they read high quality literature that has been approved by their teacher. What is novel about this technique is that during this time teachers and staff also read. There are no required…
Read MoreClass Routine
Students like and need consistency. You can provide consistency by establishing a routine for your classes. By sticking to the routine your students will be comfortable in knowing what to expect throughout the class. Your class routine should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. A good way to begin your class is to…
Read MoreImproving Writing
Here are some things you can do to improve your students’ writing skills. Encourage your students to use a dictionary and thesaurus when writing. Have these available for students to use. Point out students’ errors in written work. Have your students make the corrections themselves, providing any guidance needed. Correct errors in students’ spoken language.…
Read MoreAnimal Differences
Many life forms seem similar, but differ in some way. Have your students use reference sources to identify a difference between each of the following pairs of animals. Alligator – Crocodile. (The head of an alligator is shorter and flatter than the head of a crocodile.) Turtle – Tortoise. (A turtle can live in the…
Read MoreStrengths of Dyslexics
Approximately 15 percent of Americans are affected by dyslexia. Dyslexics have great difficulty mastering reading. Recent research, however, has shown that dyslexics often have skills that are superior to those of typical readers. Dyslexics have been shown to have sharper peripheral vision. They often have a heightened ability to grasp the gist of visual fields…
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