It's Tuesday, August 4, 1:51 PM. I'm sitting in a blogging class (yes, I am entering the 21st century!) and thinking that this will be an easy communication and sharing tool for all of us to use to share instructional strategies, successful lesson plans, etc.
Have any of you had a really exciting lesson idea lately? Please share with us! Visit this site frequently for updates.
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This is a great tool for teachers- an excellent instructional strategy for sharing info. Thank you Robin for pulling me into the 21st Century- at least I am not kicking and screaming!!
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ReplyDeleteToday I enjoyed teaching an Excel class to 5 young ladies at the Chemung County Jail. Within a few minutes, I could see that these students were very bright and it was not appropriate for me to show them every new skill. Some were trying to discover the new skills on their own. So I decided to "roll with it!" By giving them permission to experiment with Excel, the concepts that they discovered will stick with them longer than what I had planned to demonstrate to them. To say the least, I am looking for more challenging exercises for them to work on!
ReplyDeleteThank you Robin. I am now an official blogger. Maybe you should consider offering us a mini training on blogging. Although, I have found this to be user friendly so far.
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you Robin. Don't forget that we can update the 5 ladies from Excel as "entered training".
ReplyDeleteHi everyone - thank you for including me in the world of blogging. So far, so good - very easy to get started!
ReplyDeleteRobin
ReplyDeleteThanks for including me ! I think Shirlene has a good point on the training maybe you could cover all the perks this (blogging) has to offer ??
It's like coming of age!!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't feel like a total dinosaur now....maybe just a little one. :-) I would love to hear information regarding the promeathan board too when you have an opportunity. Technology is aging faster than I am and I thought my parents were crazy about father time~!
Yesterday evening I recieved an article via email regarding a Sheriff Joe from Arizona. He is an extremely hard nosed individual who is making his county prisoners work for their stay in jail. Needless to say the article is very controversial. I decided to use it as a reading/writing assignment in my Adult Learning Center. It was wonderful! There was an extremely lively conversation/debate followed by everyone writing! Even those that claim they can't/won't write did just to be sure their opinion was heard! It was very productive! If anyone would like the article please let me know and I can email it to you :)
ReplyDeleteI was so pleased this morning to see how many of you have responded to the invitation to visit this blog! Let's keep the information sharing alive!
ReplyDeleteNicole, would you be able to post the link to the article to which you referred? That was a great strategy to get your students excited about writing! Thanks for sharing!
I had an interesting experience today at the CCJ. One of the female inmates in my Excel class was commenting in general about so many people in the CCJ that she knew from her high school. I decided to ask her why she thought that was happening. Her response was, "because those teachers don't sit down with us and care about us like you guys (GST BOCES Adult Ed.) do." Nice job, Nancy, Alexis, Rich, Terry, Pat, Mary, Dave, and Carol! What a reminder to us that in many cases we are the first positive experience that our students have had in education. We owe it to them to continue to be the best instructors that we can be and to keep caring!
ReplyDeleteWhat are some of the ways in which we demonstrate that our students are important to us? Please share your thoughts with us.
One very simple strategy that I personally follow with all of my students is to smile, make eye contact, and greet them by name as they come into class. Yes, it's so easy, yet so powerful, the way in which we can establish rapport and make someone feel welcome and important.
Any other thoughts?
Hi ALL-
ReplyDeleteRobin asked if I could put a copy of the article I referred to yesterday in the mailroom that way if anyone wanted a copy they could make them.
As a thought to Robin's question...
ALWAYS being POSITIVE regardless of the situation is key with a lot of students. They seem to be chronically negative about everything(whether it be something personal or academic) and sometimes a positive statement regarding something looking not so good can give a student a different outlook to a situation. "Positivity" can be contagious, try spreading it!!!!
One thought - when out students comment that previous teachers didn't care about them- I turn that around with a statement like- now that you are committedd to improving your skills- let's begin. Teachers do care and have tried hard to engage our youth- it just wasn't the right time - the responsibility of learning remains with the adult student.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading everyone's comments/good information.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI have read everyone's comments, and there are many great ideas. I tell my students this is their education, and they get out what they put into it. If they work hard and do their best, they will get a much better result than if they just do it to get it done.
I have heard of sherriff Joe, and if you google him, you'll find it. I believe his is the sherriff of Maricopa county, AZ.
Yes, Sherriff Joe is of Maricopa County, AZ. One of the projects that he implemented (my students had a lot to say about this) was the County Prisoners working/running the local animal shelter. Coincedentally, Robin watched Oprah the other day, only to find that our own NYS Department of Corrections was operating a similar program at Fishkill Correctional Facility in Dutchess County. Here, it is a little different, the prisoners are given 8 week old puppies. The inmates are then trained to train the puppies to become "work" dogs for Iraq War Vets diagnosed with PSTD. We found a clip of the documentary and I am looking forward to sharing it with my class as a follow- up to the previous lesson. I will let you know what their thoughts are as well as how the writing and public speaking skills lesson goes. :)
ReplyDeleteFinding employment is a job in itself. In our adult learning center we provide daily workshops dealing with different topics surrounding getting and keeping a job. Robin provided me with workbooks dealing with writing a resume and cover letter, interviewing, and most important keeping the job. Our students really find this activity helpful in their search for work.
ReplyDeleteHi fellow bloggers. I have been implementing the "Why Try?" program at CCJ. Last week we did the module called "Tearing Off Your Labels". It involves strategies for tearing off some of the negative labels people wear because of past behaviors. (failure, druggie, liar, thief, dumb, lazy, rebellious, juvenile delinquent, etc.) The graphic was a can with these negative names listed on the label. One of the journal exercises was to draw a new can with an "Ideal Label" of all the things you want to be. Labels can include many positive statements like "People like me", "Smart". "College Student", "Successful Business Man", "Good Mother", "Honest", "Responsible", etc. and students can get creative with colors and letter design. It's a great way to get your students thinking about who they want to be instead of letting the past tell them who they are.
ReplyDeleteHi, Robin!
ReplyDeleteI finally got in! I'm looking forward to sharing and learning. As one of the other comments suggests, a class in blogging would be helpful and fun.
Welcome to all who joined our blog today! Let's keep the ideas coming!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, as soon as I feel more confident in blogging, I will offer a class in it--maybe at one of our upcoming staff development meetings. Great idea!
If blogging comes with training wheels, then order me a set.
ReplyDeleteMy contribution for now is that it's ok for students to become frustrated with their work. It's a part of the learning process that we all share. I've found that using our own personal examples that include humor help our students to understand this.
Mark
I really like your thoughts about using personal examples and humor, Mark. To follow up on that thought, I just did a little research on the Internet and found a great article about how a professor made a biostatistics class enjoyable for his students. For a good read, go to:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ronberk.com/How_laughing_leads_to_learning_apa_monitor_june_06.pdf
Thanks, Mark!
Hi All Bloggers- can you report on how the orientation process is going for you- are you seeing a difference in your students' commitment- what do you think is working, what should we look at adjusting- thanks Kate Buckley
ReplyDeleteEvery interaction with a customer affects your organization and its success. What does this mean to you as a teacher, case manager, support staff - for GST BOCES? Kate Buckley
ReplyDeleteI have observed many positives as a result of our orientation process. Perhaps the biggest plus is that much of the SED-required documentation is completed and in order from the beginning. The permanent student folders are in good order so the literacy instructor can focus more on helping the students in their academic needs.
ReplyDeleteI have observed that more students are staying in touch with us when they cannot be in class. Perhaps they can better understand the commitment it takes to earn their high school credential.
Yesterday a lit. instructor asked about the possibility of offering scheduled group literacy orientations on the western end. Perhaps in the future?
Thank you, everyone, for adapting so well to this new orientation process. It feels like a success to me. Please share your thoughts with us.
I agree that there have only been benefits to the orientation process.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to share a fun activity that I am currently doing with my students. I have asked each of them to pick a place that they have always dreamed of going (for example, Ireland). Then, with money being of NO importance, they are to "research"-How to get there
Where to stay
What to do while there
The students are able to use the internet, atlas, maps, magazines, books and each other for information. When the research is complete, each student is to write an itinerary of their trip for the other students. "Upon their return" the students are going present their "trip" to the other students explaining the sites and attractions of their location.
I feel this project to be beneficial in many ways. 1.Students are forced to use available resources to find needed info., most importantly the internet, as many of them have little to no skills in this area. This is great practice! 2.The students gain knowledge about an area/location that they previously knew little about. 3.By writing out an itinerary the student learns the importance of writing steps and chronological order etc. Time management, too. 4.By presenting the trip this gives them experience in appropriate public speaking.
So far it has been really fun. I have students visiting Cook's Island in Australia, the Safari of Africa, San Diego and others.
What a nice project, Nicole. What about taking it a step further and have the students create a PowerPoint presentation about their chosen destination. Not sure if you have computer access or not, but if so, what a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI just sat through a podcasting class and I can honestly say that this time I was pushed outside of my technical comfort zone! But it felt good and I am proud to have learned yet another new technology. I believe our students,too, will feel proud of themselves as they incorporate technology into their learning.
Any thoughts about this? I encourage folks who have not yet blogged to post a comment!
Hello, everyone,
ReplyDeleteI spend most of my time with the Office Careers class at Wildwood, but on the internet I ran across some ideas that can be used with GED or any other adult learning group. You may have already seen this website from the state ed department in Honolulu, but it is worth visiting every so often. The URL is rather long: honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip.htm. Or in google, type keywords "ideas for teaching adults". On the list you will see the heading Teaching Tips; clicking on it will take you to the website. The impressive index and details cover assessment, lesson plans, techniques, learning styles, motivating students, dealing with stress and difficult behaviors, and much more. The tips offer much common sense, as well as useful tools.
Jeanne, I am anxious to have the opportunity to visit this website; it sounds very comprehensive and relevant to what we do! Let's all try to look at the website before we meet next and let's share some thoughts about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeanne!
I just tried the website and maybe I typed in the address incorrectly, so here is the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm
Thanks again, Jeanne!
I finally made it. I have tried to post a comment twice now. My technological abilities are trying at best. I have been in The Stueben County Jail since the end of July. I really enjoy being a "rover". I am able to get involved in the different learning enviorments within our program. I work with great instructors. Through them, I learn and develope new methods and approaches to teaching the adult learner. It's a great opportunity to share ideas and to develope my skills. I witnessed the Perkins program and saw how benefical it is to our students. Also, I learned from the students. One students showed me how to solve a certain math problem on one of the OPT's that I could never figure out the math process behind it. Another student, who is a struggling reader, read "The Horse Whisper". I know he is a more confident reader now than he was last week. On the other hand, I have been introduced to Urban literture and developed my vocabulary.All in all, SCJ is a great learning enviorment and has been a "wavy" experience for me.
ReplyDeleteGreat Job Mary
ReplyDeleteYou will be receiving an attachment from me today regarding instructions to view and add comments to our literacy blog. Have a great day, everyone!
ReplyDeletethis is my third try to blog still in a fog. You know what they say 3 strikes and your out
ReplyDeleteHi All, I just read the article "Dropouts Seek a Boost From Equivalency Exams" out of the Wall Street Journal. It's a good article,especially since we are the ones out in the field. I'm sure you have all noticed the growth in your class...I know the ALC at Workforce NY can relate,as well as EOP and Our House. The economy and the unemployment rate throughout the country has heighten the need for an education. The article points out just how "choosy" employers can be in today's employment market, even at the entry-level jobs and how hard it is to find work without a high school diploma.
ReplyDeleteThe article has a bar graph about reasons for taking the GED by the test-takers. I liked it because it proves that the powers that be are using the survey potion of the test for research on Adult Ed. The article is a quick read and it does let you know our jobs are vital in improving the welfare of our students to become productive members of our community.
H ello everyone! I'm finally blogging- amazing!One of my students also read that article. Although the article came across negative and discouraging, it made him all the more determined to earn his GED and move on with his dreams! This young man has been working so hard towards his GED and hopefully it will pay off this Fri. His whole countenance has changed since the first day he arrived to class. He now believes that he is capable and that good things can actually happen to him!!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog, John and Pat! I'm glad you joined us!
ReplyDeleteIt's so uplifting when students come to us ready to learn! They are so lucky to work under the direction of such fine and talented teachers! They have always been capable, but now that they want it, they can achieve great things!
What about the students who are not quite at that point? Please share your strategies with us regarding how you engage those students.
Have a great day, everyone!
Good morning, everyone! Do any of you have ideas regarding how we keep our students with attention deficit disorder engaged? Please share strategies with us if you have some. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSome quick thoughts off the top of my head:
ReplyDelete~Keep lessons short and to the point
~Have them hi-light important info. while they're reading or listening along to a passage
~Provide them with notes to complete and hi-light while following along with a lesson
***have them sit up front
~Engage them in the classroom activities, pass out papers, supplies, read aloud(if comfortable)
~Have them present or reteach the skill to another student
~Have them do oral reading with another student involved with the same assignment
and...I think most importantly, engage them with as many modes of learning as possible and focus on their learning style strength!!! ie, present materials visually, orally, and manually
Hope this helps!
These are great strategies. Another idea is to structure learning centers based on themes- maybe 2-3 throughout the room. If you are in a learning environment that prohibits movement of students, then you can alternate the activities at the tables.
ReplyDeleteKate and Pat, these are great strategies for all of us to use in our adult learning centers. Thank you for your ideas! Perhaps this is a topic for our next literacy meeting?
ReplyDeleteWhere have all the bloggers gone!!!!??
ReplyDeleteHow are students handling the 3 hours classes - are the students staying for the full 3 hours-
I will echo Kate's question: Where are all the bloggers?!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have any exciting recent lesson plans or teaching strategies to share with us? How are the classes going lately?
Let's please share some strategies for welcoming new students into our classes while simultaneously managing the existing students. I know most of our classes are still taking students in weekly. What are you doing to manage this?
Thanks, everyone! We look forward to hearing from you again!
Is anyone doing any lessons surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday? I watched such an interesting program about Thanksgiving history on the History channel last night! I learned much more than we learned in elementary school about the holiday! If you have any lesson plans, please share them with us! Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
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