Educator News/Tips

Interventions for Students Who Know It All Al...

February 19th, 2006 by Administrator
It's no fun to work with kids who know it all already. Some of these youngsters can be quite arrogant and disdainful. Others will convey a sense of superiority that serves to effectively isolate them from their peers. Many adolescents routinely believe they know more than adults, so if you work with teens, you may need every one of the approaches listed below. These methods can moderate the amount of time you have to spend each day convincing students that they don't know it all already. These interventions may actually help some of your know-it-all students realize that they might still have something to learn from you and your site.
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The #1 Intervention That Students Can't Resis...

February 19th, 2006 by Administrator
Can you name the #1 intervention that your students can't resist? Here is a hint: It's an intervention that everyone has, but many of us forget to use. It's a method that is practically guaranteed to capture your students' interest and attention, and to make them more likely to receive and remember your message. What is it?
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6 New Youth Change Tools for 2006

February 19th, 2006 by Administrator
It may be a new year, but you are probably still dealing with the same old "kid problems." The bad attitudes, disrespect, peer conflict, lying, school failure or family problems didn't change when you flipped the page on the calendar. Don't let last year's problems create another difficult year. Resolve to stop using last year's failed solutions, and instead substitute updated, more effective methods like those contained in our books, instant ebooks, workshops and web site. This may be the right moment to stop using methods that didn't work well in 2005, and will fare no better in 2006. If you don't decide now to switch to more updated, more effective methods, you may continue to find your job discouraging and frustrating, and your students may continue to struggle and be very hard to manage. What better time to make the switch than as you flip the page on the calendar? You might actually discover that working with difficult kids doesn't have to be so difficult.
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All-Time Favorite Interventions

February 19th, 2006 by Administrator
Here are some of our all-time favorite interventions from Youth Change's Breakthrough Strategies Workshops and Books. Take a peek at a sampling of our lesson methods and activities, designed to work for children with an array of problem areas, including children with attachment problems, angry youth, children with autism, unmotivated youth, defiant adolescents, Asperger's children, children with bad behavior, neglected children, abused children, and more. These activities are perfect for adolescents, make wonderful lessons for groups, and provide the anger-reducers and bad behavior-busters you need. Want a great activity for adolescents? Need a lesson about anger? Not sure how to help children manage the problems they face from child abuse or neglect? Here is a tiny peek at our massive wealth of activities, lessons and interventions.
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No problem too big or too small to troublesho...

November 5th, 2005 by Administrator

Always look for opportunities to practice and coach troubleshooting. One came for me the other day with the classroom stapler...

A bright student in a hurry urgently asks me, “Mrs. Canaga, Mrs. Canaga...the stapler won't work!”

As thoughts rolled through my head (like...what has someone done to the stapler now?), I stopped and asked, “Well, have you tried to troubleshoot the problem?“

With an extemely annoyed look on his face, the student replied, “Troubleshoot the stapler?”

Mrs. Canaga: “Sure...what is the problem you are having?“

Student: “It won't staple my paper.”

Mrs. Canaga: “Did it work recently?”

The student now realizes he's been caught in a teachable moment and reluctantly responds, “I think so... maybe it needs more staples?”

Mrs. Canaga: “Did you check?”

Student: “How do I do that?”

Mrs. Canaga: “I don't know...have you examined the stapler?”

Student looks over the stapler, “Well it looks like there might be two ways.” After a bit of trial and error, he opens the stapler and finds it empty. A quick reload, and he's back to work with a stapled paper in hand and troubleshooting on his mind. He might have been mumbling something about me too, but hey...that's the art of troubleshooting!

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Focus of this Blog...

November 3rd, 2005 by Administrator

My “specialty” is the software development process and project management. I was a programmer, analyst and manager for 15 years, before I found my passion for education. This is my 8th year with the Issaquah School District in Washington state, and I teach a variety of high school technology courses that include hardware and operating systems, web authoring, programming and AP Computer Science.

As I developed the curriculum for the programming classes, I was drawn to online resources that taught Visual Basic, C# and ASP.NET. I embraced Visual Studio.NET, and my students successfully pass APCS tests with their J# knowledge. One thing led to another, and last year I was asked to help develop online course material to teach the software development process.

This resource will be available to you soon. In future posts, I will describe its features and my beta experience last spring. Designed to be a project to work on after the AP test, students work in project teams to develop a game over the course of about six weeks. During this time, they learn and practice the four Ds--Discovery, Design, Development and Deployment.

In the navigation panel on the left, you will see links to the Computer Science Blogs of my colleagues. I learn something from them every day....

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Urban Grants - Pre-K12 Teachers - NEA

January 3rd, 2005 by Administrator

Pre-K-12 Teachers | Research | NEA Resources | Substitute Teachers

The NEA Urban Grants Program

What are Urban Grants?

Since 1985, the National Education Association’s Urban Grants Program has supported local NEA affiliates in the development of education reform leadership programs for PreK-12/Graduate School faculty and education support professionals. Each year the NEA awards 25 Urban Grants in the amount of $5,000 each to NEA local affiliates to help support them with these programs.

The 2004-05 grant winners from six regions and 27 states were announced at the Dec. 1-4, 2004 meeting of the National Council of Urban Education Associations in Portland, OR. The winners received funding for projects that will help members complete college coursework needed to meet new federal requirements, encourage high quality classroom-focused professional development for teachers, help develop professional development geared toward elevating Latino students' academic proficiency, and help develop a cadre of teacher mentors, among others.

The NEA Constituent Relations Department administers the program and looks for proposals that contribute to restoring public confidence in public education by reflecting some aspect of the NEA’s Strategic Priorities which include:

• Student Achievement: Students with the skills and knowledge to function successfully in school so that they also may succeed as adults in the 21st century.
• Teacher Quality: A qualified teacher in every classroom.
• Education Support Professional Quality: Qualified education support professionals in classrooms and at worksites.
• Quality School Systems: A quality public school for every student.
• Public, Parental, and Business Support: A financial, technical, and political environment that promotes student achievement and great public schools.
• Membership and Affiliate Support: Organize, mobilize, and manage resources to strengthen state and local affiliates in leading the movement for great public schools.
  

Who is eligible for an Urban Grant?

NEA local affiliates of 500 members or more who are listed with the NEA membership office or the largest local NEA affiliate of any state regardless of membership number are eligible to apply.

What is the Program Procedure?

1. Applicants submit a proposal to the NEA Constituent Relations/NCUEA Office. Proposals must be postmarked by September 30.
2. The Constituent Relations staff will correspond with each applicant as well as their respective state association and regional office, notifying them of receipt of the proposal.
3. Urban Grant winning affiliates are announced at the National Council of Urban Education Associations Fall Conference and publicized in NEA publications.*

* NEA reserves the right to publicize, reproduce, or use the reports and/or products resulting from any of the Urban Grants projects.

What are the responsibilities of Grant Recipients?

1. Submit interim and final progress reports to NEA Constituent Relations/NCUEA. Interim reports are due May 31 and final reports are due January 31.
2. Urban Grants recipients must be willing to share what they have learned from their projects at the NCUEA Fall Conference and in local Association-sponsored forums.
3. Any publications or media presentations prepared in conjunction with an Urban Grant must include the following statement: This project is supported by the National Education Association through its Urban Grants program.

NEA reserves the right to request the refund of grant monies from any recipient that does not comply with these guidelines. Extenuating circumstances may be approved.

Important Dates:

• Proposal Deadline:  September 30
• Grants Awarded:      By December 31
• Project Duration:     One year (December of the following year)
• Interim Report:        May 31
• Final Report:             January 31 following project completion

Proposal Review and Selection

A carefully selected committee of NEA local affiliate presidents and NEA staff reads and evaluates all parts of the applications and makes its judgments using the following criteria:

• Application is complete  and adheres to all instructions
• Complies with NEA policy
• Benefits the local Association
• Involves local members in the project
• Objectives are attainable and measurable
• Promotes partnership and collaboration with school districts and other stakeholders
• Demonstrates innovation, originality, and creativity
• Meets identified needs
• Shows potential for successful completion and replication
• Timeline for activities is adequate for successful completion of project
• Uses funds appropriately; estimates costs realistically
• Confirms that project can continue after grant monies end

Decisions by the Evaluation Committee are final.

Questions?

Please direct any questions you may have to:

NEA Constituent Relations/NCUEA
1201 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

(202) 822-7155
e-mail: urbaned@nea.org

Application Guidelines

Provide clear, complete responses to Parts I–VI below. To be considered, all parts must be answered and all requirements must be met.

PART 1

Applicant Information

1. Provide name, address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address of local affiliate. Two or more affiliates may submit a joint proposal for a cooperative effort; complete applicant information is required for each affiliate.
2. Provide name, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of a) local affiliate president, b) local affiliate executive director/UniServ director, and c) project coordinator(s), who will be the contact person(s) for the duration of the project.
3. Indicate if the applicant has previously received an Urban Grant and if so, when. Proposals for continuing projects are only eligible for funding for three consecutive years.

PART II

Project Summary

1. Provide a 50-75 word summary description of the project.

PART III

Statement of Need

1. Provide a brief description of the need for the project and how it was determined. Indicate the number of Association members and other people involved, how the project will increase student achievement, and how teachers, education support professionals, and the Association will benefit from the completion of the project.

PART IV

Project Description

1. Objectives: List the specific objectives to be accomplished in the program, preferably in measurable terms.
2. Activities: State the activities that will take place to accomplish the objectives.
3. Products: Describe any products that will result from the project, if applicable.
4. Roles and responsibilities: List the principal people involved and their major responsibilities.
5. Timeline: Construct a timeline for the project. Note when major activities will take place. The project, or the phase of the project to be funded by an Urban Grant, must be completed by the following December.

PART V

Projected Budget

1. Estimate project expenses, such as travel, supplies, and printing. Note additional funding source(s) if applicable. Funding from other sources (e. g., school system, private sector) supports the importance and viability of the project. No more than 25 percent of grant monies can be used for stipends, substitute teachers, release time, outside speakers, or consultants.

PART VI

Signatures

Three dated signatures are required:

1. Project Coordinator(s)
2. Local Affiliate President
3. Local Affiliate Executive Director/UniServ Director

Local Example

Committed to Peaceful Resolution in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania

The Chester Upland Education Association (CUEA) is taking the lead in efforts to curb student violence.

"Students in the Chester Upland School District are in dire need of conflict resolution programs," notes CUEA President Melody Subashi. "Our school administration changes so frequently, we had to take on the responsibility for these programs."

This CUEA program focuses on providing better training to educators on how to recognize the signs of violence, how to prevent it, and how to cope with it should it unfold. It also examines how violence in the home or community leads to violence in the schools.

"NEA, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, and CUEA are committed to finding ways to reduce violence in our schools. The NEA Urban Grant was a first step in that commitment," Subashi adds.

Urban Grant Project Ideas

Cooperation, collaboration, and community are the trademarks of the many innovative programs developed by large urban locals of the National Education Association under this mini-grant program. Successful Urban Grant applicants have focused on NEA’s Strategic Priorities and have contributed to restoring public confidence in public education through their projects. Listed below are project ideas.

          Making Low Performing Schools A Priority

          Forming Literacy Programs For At-Risk Students

          Teacher/Student Mentoring

          Involving The Broad Community In Education

          Electronic Networking With Community

          School Safety Programs

          Professional Development Activities

          Community Awareness Of School Effectiveness

          Partnerships To Help Students Learn

          Technology In Urban Schools

          Promoting Diversity And Equity In Urban Schools

          Team Building Innovations

          Teacher Recruitment And Retention

          Encouraging Young People To Enter The Teaching Profession

          Dropout Prevention Programs

 

NEA Regional Offices

NEA Mid-Atlantic Regional Office  1201 16^th Street, N.W. Washington, DC Suite 412, 20036 Tel: (202) 822-7111 FAX: (202) 822-7170

NEA Midwestern Regional Office  Alamo Plaza 1401 17^th Street, Suite 950, Denver, CO 80202 Tel: (303) 294-3541 FAX: (303) 293-8797

NEA Northeast Regional Office  1201 16^th Street, N.W. Washington, DC, Suite 412, 20036 Tel: (202) 822-7111 FAX: (202) 822-7170

NEA Pacific Regional Office  1350 Bayshore Hwy, Burlingame, CA, 94010 Tel: (650) 347-8983 FAX: (650) 347-8983

NEA Southeastern Regional Office  1745 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 330, Atlanta, GA 30349 Tel: (770) 996-9047 FAX: (770) 996-2212

NEA Western Regional Office  Alamo Plaza 1401 17^th Street, Suite 950, Denver, CO 80202 Tel: (303) 294-3544 FAX: (303) 293-8797

NEA Headquarters  Membership and Organizing/Urban Initiatives, 1201 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-3290 Tel: (202) 822-7155

 

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