Lessons From Leaders

Teaching Students Personal Finance

Unless your students have an eye for math, they may find a class in personal finance about as enjoyable as getting a root canal. Still, teaching the subject is not only important to personal financial growth, it can and does affect every avenue of their lives.

How can a student best save at the supermarket? How do they best manage their finances? What of the stock market; should they invest? What of their monthly expenses? Are they living beyond their means already?

To teach the subject of personal finance is one thing; to have your students incorporate the wisdom and “experience” the topic is quite another. What you do and say will make the difference between learning and actually going out and doing what is learned.

One of the best ways to get students excited about personal finance is to give them an experience. Have them invest in the stock market on paper and follow their wins and losses. Have them fill out a personal finance chart and show them if they’re living within their means. Learn about car refinance by choosing a car and working through the refinancing steps.

Personal examples are always helpful in teaching a student. They’ll remember a story over facts and figures, and in the story you can show what the individual did right or wrong.

Hands-on work is excellent, but don’t let it overshadow discussion in the classroom where students can learn from their peers. A new skill is often easier to take if the option is given from a fellow student.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: Business, Finance, Personal finance, supermarket

Key Benefits of Online Education

Occasionally, a student will come along that has a difficult time coping with the traditional school environment. This can be for a variety of reasons, ranging from an issue revolving around behavioral problems, to a student that simply has different educational needs than other student. Just because a student is having this issue, it in no way indicates that they cannot be a successful student. So, instead of parents and educators deeming a student a loss cause, perhaps the child may benefit from a more alternative way of learning with online classes.

For starters, some students simply do not cope well in a traditional classroom. This can be from receiving negative gestures from other students such as eye rolls and frowning, which may make the student uncomfortable and disengaged from their surroundings. When this happens, students can easily become less likely to participate in classroom activities, or even ask for help when needed. With the alternative of online education, students who may have once been shy can easily speak with their instructors in a more private setting, which will help them get more out of the lesson.

Another issue that some students may face is the fact that they simply cannot keep up with their lessons. This can be problematic because based off of the way that traditional schools are run, each lesson is a building block, so missing one step can ruin a students education entirely. With online classes, students can work more at their own pace, so if they come across some information that they are having difficult time retaining, they can take the time that they need until the understand it more.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: Education, eLearning, Student

Interactive Students are Better Students

The children of America are interactive and advanced. Technology is more a part of their lives than ever before. It just makes sense to integrate technology into the classroom. Properly implemented, educational technology integration can help create a more effective learning environment for all of our children. The question is how should teachers utilize technology as a part of their daily lesson plans?

One such idea is the utilization of interactive tools. Tools such as this are designed to capture the attention of students and to encourage them to participate in classroom activities. Remember, our children are used to being interactive with technology so educational technology integration that utilizes a student response system will appeal to them. These hand-held devices allow teachers to pose a question to the class as a whole. Each student will then answer the question via the device. The results will appear on a monitor, allowing children to see how their answer matched up with the classmates. As a teaching tool, it can be a quick way to judge how well the class as a whole grasps a concept.

Everybody has a slightly different learning style – some children relate better to audio, others to visual educational cues. By using educational technology integration, teachers can develop a daily system that encompasses all of these styles and can therefore be far more effective as educators. Touch screen computers, tablets and more are now available to assist teachers with every aspect of their daily lessons, from lesson plans to final grades.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: Education, Lesson plan, Technology

Save Money On College Textbooks

The cost of textbooks can add a lot to the expense of attending college. Hundreds of dollars a year are spent on required textbooks. It is assumed by most students that the bookstore is making a large profit on selling textbooks, but in reality 65% of the money goes to the publisher. The author earns about 12% which leaves the bookstore with only 4% of the profit from the sale of books. It is up to each individual professor to decide on which textbooks to use for his class, based on subject matter and the relevance to their instructional plan. They are aware of how expensive textbooks are and most professors will keep cost effectiveness in mind when choosing them. Prices are calculated using various factors. Textbooks for popular subject matters are generally priced lower. If a book is for a specialized field, it will cost more. Textbooks requiring heavy research, a lot of fact checking and peer review, will cost more as well. Charts and graphs, photographs, and quizzes will add to the cost of many textbooks. It can be beneficial to students if they know ahead of time which books they are going to need to purchase. They can save money by ordering online instead of at the university bookstore. If you don’t have the time, you can save some money by buying your books used at the bookstore. There is usually a limited number of used textbooks available, so shopping early will guarantees first shot at them. Books can be returned at the end of the term. You will only get a fraction of what you paid for them, but you will get a little something. Prices online are often better, if you sell you books to sites that specialize in book buybacks. You also always have the option of selling your books to another student. This often benefits both parties.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: Bookselling, Student, Textbook

Students Succeed At High Achieving Schools

There are certain criteria present in high achieving schools that aren’t present in schools that don’t rank as high. Student engagement is one of the main goals in these schools, with high expectations placed on the students and the teachers. Moral is high among students and they possess a strong work ethic. The principal, teachers and support staff all share the same goals and agree on the focus of the school. The curriculum is center around standardized tests in order to assess the progress made by teachers and students. High achieving schools employ teachers who are committed to their student achievment. Each child is recognized for his own special talents and the love of learning is communicated throughout the learning process. High achieving secondary schools graduate their students on time and nurture their plans to go on to college.
Success from every child is assumed, so students must learn, complete, and master all work before going on to the next level. Difficulties will be diagnosed and overcome with the help and support of the teacher. The relationship between student and teacher becomes strong and often continues long after the student has been promoted to higher grade levels. This forms a community of support to help students reach their academic goals. There are steps you can take at your school if it doesn’t meet the criteria of a high achieving school. You can become involved in bringing about positive change. Every student has the right to expect excellence from the school they are attending. Use parent teacher conferences and school board meetings to express your concerns. There will be other parents who share your concerns. You can join with them to make positive changes in the academic excellence and school policy. Students who graduate from high performing schools are more prepared to succeed in the work environment or in the prusuit of higher education. These schools expect their students to do well and continue their education. They support these goals by providing students information on scholarship opportunities.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: Learning, Student, Teacher

Avoid Default By Taking Care of Your Student Loans

Taking out students loan has become necessary for many students seeking higher education and earning a degree. The reality doesn’t really sink in until after graduation and repayment begins. It is important to stay on top of the situation. This will help keep payments more affordable, eliminate unnecessary fees, and protect your credit. The first thing to consider when beginning the repayment process, is who your lender or lenders are. You also need to determine how much you owe, and whether or not any payment have been made to date. Your school’s financial aid office is a good recourse for contact information, if you aren’t sure who your lenders are. Federal loan programs will allow you a 6 month grace period once you have left school. This time may vary on private lending programs. Federal loan payments will be calculated automatically on a 20 year repayment plan once your grace period has passed. If you don’t find work right away, this plan may not fit into your budget. Other options to the standard payment plan are available through the lending institution. A deferment option will suspend your payments for a period of time, allowing you to find a job and get on your feet. You can also request an alternative repayment schedule to make your payments more affordable. But this will extend the life of your loan and add to the overall interest on the loan. Recently an income based option has been introduced. Repayment is based on a percentage of your available income. After 25 years of consistent payments, the remaining balance on the loan will be forgiven. The most important thing you can do is to stay in contact with your lender, notify them of changes in address and phone numbers and read any correspondence they send you. Talk to them if you run into a financial problem that effects your repayment plan. They will be glad to work with you and offer alternative options to avoid default on the loan.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: Higher education, Loan, Payment

How To Draw Out A Shy Child

As any parent with a shy child can tell you it is frustrating business. For a shy child to answer strangers questions can be like pulling teeth without the dentist. We teach our children not to talk to strangers yet at the same time we want our children to be less introverted. Every child behaves differently. Some are extremely outgoing and charismatic while others turn red and close up when asked questions by teacher’s or family members. There are some ways to help a shy child overcome her shyness and she will eventually grow out of the phase. Other times it may become necessary to involve medical providers if it progresses or interferes with everyday life.

One thing that will help a shy child is to try not label or scold her for being shy. The child has either low self-esteem or does not know how to respond to questions ask. Labeling or scolding a child for shyness will often make it harder to draw her out of her shell or comfort zone. Labeling and scolding will also lower her self-esteem by making her feel something is wrong with her for being that way.

Children often pattern parent’s behavior. Use social situations as a way to teach a shy child how to interact with strangers. Set up a play date for your child but limit the size to one-on-one. This will not overwhelm the shy child. And as your child feels more comfortable, add more children. You can help your shy child by practicing at home answering common questions that someone would normally ask. It is important to note that you should also teach your shy child when to answer a strangers questions and when not to. Like maybe telling her full name and age only if you are present. But to never give her address or phone number to an adult stranger.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: Child, Self-esteem, The Shy Child

Adequate Yearly Progress

The Adequate Yearly Progress, otherwise known as AYP, is a measurement developed by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It allows the United States Department of Education to determine how school districts and public schools are performing based on standardized test results. It has not been without its share of controversy.

Section 1111 (b)(F) of the NCLB Act declares, “Each state shall establish a timeline for adequate yearly progress. The timeline shall ensure that…all students in each group…will meet or exceed the State’s standards.” Working under federal guidelines, state education agencies or state-level education departments develop these timelines.

The Department of Education has defined AYP as a diagnostic tool used to determine areas in which schools lack and how best to improve them. It also helps determine where financial resources would best be used. In cases where a school does not meet the adequate yearly progress for two years in a row, NCLB has made them subject to State Education Agency interventions. Serious corrective actions may take place.

Standardized testing allows State Education Agencies to select target goals for their AYP. Each year, states are required to increase student achievement in gradual but regular increments. The goal of NCLB is to have 100% of students in the country proficient on state assessments by the 2013/2014 school year. Therein lies the controversy—the fear that teachers are only allowed to teach for the tests by rote memorization, not teaching critical thinking skills. The failure of reaching the 2013/2014 goal is evident in the current lack of student proficiency.

Because of this, education reform has been on the minds of officials in Washington and the Obama administration. At the start of 2011, there was talk of overhauling No Child Left Behind before the 2012 campaigns take up too much of the spotlight.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: Adequate Yearly Progress, Education reform, State Education Agency

Technological Literacy

The No Child Left Behind Act emphasized the use of technology in the classroom for the improvement of student achievement. As twenty-first century learners, today’s students must be exposed to technology as an essential part of their curriculum if they are going to succeed in the modern world. Having an adequate technology infrastructure in classrooms, media centers, administrative offices, and district offices is necessary to ensure technological achievement.

Accessibility to technology is a crucial factor in NCLB. Schools should achieve this by implementing local area networks and broadband, high-speed Internet connections. Technology literacy is stressed for all students regardless of race, disability, ethnicity, income, or citizenship status.

Parents are encouraged to participate in their children’s technological learning. NCLB focuses on making technology accessible for parents so they can support their children. Technology training should also be available for parents who cannot afford certain technologies or do not have access to them.

Integrating technology into the classroom curriculum is an effective way to improve technology literacy. Internet research can be used as a tool to find out more information on a wide variety of subjects. Classrooms can create Web pages or use social network technology. Presentations can be videoed and presented online. The possibilities are endless.

The specific goals of NCLB—Enhancing Education Through Technology—include crossing the “digital divide” by making sure each student is technologically literate by the end of eighth grade. Professional training helps teachers integrate technology resources and implement them according to state requirements. Focuses include creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, digital citizenship, and technology operations. These standards were developed by the United States Department of Education and that International Society of Technology in Education. All of these standards are required for a student to be considered technologically literate.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: Technology

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Parents of limited-English proficient children can rest assured that the No Child Left Behind Act has kept their special circumstances in mind.

NCLB requires that local education agencies (LEA’s) provide notification to parents if their child is placed in an ESL program. In some instances, parents have the choice of which language instructional program their child attends and they have the right to remove them at any time. Parents are encouraged to become active in their child’s language instruction program and are stayed well informed.

No Child Left Behind does not have a specific method of teaching English as a second language (ESL). This is left up to state and district officials to established language proficiency standards and implement instruction based on scientific research. Highly qualified teachers are required to be in classrooms where ESL students are taught.

Like all students, English language learners are tested in math and reading each year from third through eighth grade. If a student enters school for the first time in third grade or above, he or she may take tests in their native language for up to three years. After that, tests are given in English.

Highly qualified ESL teachers teach public school ESL programs and students are taken out of the classroom for individual or small group ESL instruction. In Title I schools, these students are given extra instruction and support in the English language.

Since NCLB was implemented, English language learners are receiving more attention than ever before, but critical thinking skills are not emphasized. Since emphasis is placed on test score performance, memorization is favored in place of critical thinking. Many ESL students struggle to learn under the pressure of worksheets and assessment tests not written in their native language. It can be a struggle for students working at a slower pace trying to memorize English words instead of being taught how to think in the English language.

Filed Under: Lessons From Leaders Tagged With: English language