The Homework Debate

Homework Facts:

• In 2004 the University of Michigan did a study and found that there had been a 51% increase in the amount of homework that students were receiving.
• In 1981, students ages 6 to 8 were doing about 52 minutes of homework per night. In 1997 this had increased to 128 minutes per night.
• Studies have found that while some homework does cause standardized testing scores to rise, if students in high school are doing more than two hours of homework per night the scores lowered. For middle school student test scores dropped if they were doing more than 60 to 90 minutes of homework.
• Countries that outshine the U.S. in education typically assign less homework.

Homework opinions:

• Some educators feels that we assign children more homework because we are crazed with standardized test results. It has been said "it isn't about knowledge, it's about winning".
• Parents have stated that a student's interest in learning overall fades when homework is so time consuming.
• One parent makes the point that what goes on in schools should set an example to the students. If there is so much homework, doesn't this give the student the example of poor time management by the schools? How is it that they can't get the work done with all of the hours they have our children?
• One private school that does not promote a lot of homework finds that their students are excited about taking projects home to their parents, enjoy playing music with friends after school, get involved in other great activities and in general are not "at risk".
• Educators who are pro-homework have declared that homework sends the message to parents that the schools "mean business". They believe that homework fosters critical thinking, persistence and diligence when looked at over time.
• Parents and educators tend to agree that in younger years there is little academic value to homework.
• An educator pointed out at a forum at Harvard recently that a teacher never knows who is doing the homework when it is sent home. There are those parents who do it for a child or hover over the student and don't let them really learn.

One thing is consistent and that is that this is an ongoing debate with heated opinions on both sides of the fence. There are those that want to abolish homework altogether and there are those that believe it is a precursor for real life and teach valuable skills to students.

Parents in general find homework to be a full time job. While they may enjoy having the time with their students they may wish that they had more options of how to spend such time. Homework tends to become a full time job just for the parent and in many homes causes great contention between parent and child. Perhaps if this is the case a parent contract could be used to help set standards in the home.

The GED

History of the GED:

During World War II the GED was created so that Veterans coming home from the war could finish their high school education. This enabled Veterans to prove that they were ready for a college education or technical training as made available in the GI Bill. So necessarily it was so that these individuals could be successful in their educations. The GED was a way for the Veterans to continue in their education and go on to be what they dreamed of without feeling like being in the Armed Forces had taken them away from their personal goals.

Soon after the GED became available to all drop outs. By 1959 most GED test takers were civilians. In 2001 the number of GED certificates given was about 650,000.

About the GED:

The GED is comprised of five general sections. Those sections are:

• Language Arts, Writing
• Language Arts, Reading
• Social Studies
• Science
• Mathematics

To pass the GED you have to score better than 60% of high school students. You are allowed anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes per section to complete the test. It just depends on where you are. In 2002 the Department of Education reviewed and changed the GED so that it had progressed in line with a typical high school education. This means that much of the test is harder to pass.

The Education Commission of the States declares that those with a GED got very comparable grades in post-secondary education as those with high school diplomas. They also note that most GED test takers claim that they want the GED strictly so that they can further their education.

People who get their GED cannot help but have a sense of accomplishment. Whether it is a high school diploma or a GED certificate, they both help a person's self esteem. There is a lot of value in getting something like that accomplished. GED holders will have higher paying jobs, further education and be happier with themselves. It is obvious that a high school diploma is always a better alternative. But, when that just cannot happen then the getting the GED passed is certainly a better options than dropping out and not completing anything.

Students and the Economy

There are some interesting things going around on the Internet in regards to what kids think about the economy. In these stories you hear heartbreaking stories of what it has been like for kids to have two parents who have both lost their jobs, their homes, have no where to turn and watch whatever investments that they did have just dwindle away. Anyone who thinks that our students are not affected by the tense feelings all around and the strife at home is dead wrong.

CBS news put out an article late in 2008 that stated that from the people they had talked to the students most worried about the economy were ages 18 to 25. They were worried that they wouldn't ever find a decent paying job, there was no good reason to contribute to your 401k or assume that you would ever have a retirement. These same students are going to school on student loans and only have time to work so many hours if they can actually find work. It is very hard for them to stay hopeful when they see all things financial just tanking all around them.

As for younger students, many feel ashamed that their parents can't buy school clothes or supplies like they used to. They are ashamed because their "social status" has dropped and other children can be less than understanding.

A great way to overcome this problem is to teach kids that no one is immune from having financial hardship. Everyone works hard, saves, and tries to be prepared but there are some things in life that are just harder than expected and things don't always go as planned. Better to save than be sorry though. It is important not to let a student feel like it is futile to try to get a better job down the road or to learn to handle their money in a wise manner.

Public School Safety

Statistics currently show that homeschooling is the fastest growing "school" in our country in the past few years. When parents who chose this option were asked what their top reasons were a large majority were concerned about public school safety and how it would affect their children.

Since the Columbine shootings that occurred in 1999 it is probably safe to say that we are all a bit nervous about the growing problems in our schools. Take that with the college shooting and violence that we know of and it is a huge problem. On just about any nightly news channel you can find something in regards to school security or school violence.

So what are the schools doing about these problems? How are they increasing security and taking precautions so that we can all feel safe sending our children to their doors? And how do they make the children feel safe so that they are in a frame of mind where they can achieve academic success?

Here are a few things that many schools across the country have implemented or are working on to improve safety.

• Police presence at schools. In today's world there are rarely schools (other than elementary schools) anywhere that can be found without a police officer roaming the halls.
• Metal detectors. While many school districts do not feel the need for such items or have the money for such expense there are those that are using them and they do seem to lesson violent events.
• Teacher and administrator training. The school leaders are more trained than ever to watch out for depression in students, bullying, declining grades and more signs that trouble could be brewing in a student. If these things are identified and helped early on then there are a lot of things that can be done to keep a student from wanting to go to such great lengths as to harm someone.

The bottom line though is that we need to stop the violence at schools starting in our homes. The presence of violent television shows, movies, video games and other media are not okay for kids of any age. Kids slowly become desensitized to these images and ideas and then things escalate. Or they think that violence is the solution to any problem. In homes where physical violence is used parents should really consider doing some research about the lasting effects that these behaviors have on today's children.

Homeschool Technology Classes

If your homeschool curriculum isn't online or doesn't include computer work you may want to supplement your current curriculum by adding some technology training. Starting in third and fourth grades students should be learning to type and have general keyboarding skills. They also have the ability to start learning how to use work processing programs and other computer programs besides games. There are many homeschool curriculums online so it is fun to see what you can do for free.

There are some great things offered online that can be useful to a homeschool parent. Luckily most things are offered for little or no money which makes them even more appealing.

Sense-Lang.org/typing - Offers an online flash program as well as a download. This teaches students to type touch and also includes tests. The online version is free of charge.

NimbleFingers.com - Free online typing program has various levels so it is not just for beginning typists but also intermediate and advanced. Teaches the importance of good posture at the keyboard and includes various exercises as well as games.

FreeTypingGame.net - Includes free games, lessons, scoreboard, tests and you can customize your lessons and games. You can even do typing lessons in other languages.

talibiddeenjr.amanahwebs.com/technology.htm - This site offers courses on web design, information processing, and graphic design. These courses are full of benefits for homeschool students or anyone just wanting to learn more about computer technology and programs.

Columbus Day Lessons

In 2009 students can celebrate Columbus Day on October 12th. Here are a few ideas that you can use to supplement your curriculum and add fun activities to your regular school days. These ideas are generally fit for elementary school age kids but we have found that even tweens have fun and these ideas can be adapted and done on a larger scale for middle school and high school students.

Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October each year. This holiday is great for history, geography, sociology and for certain science projects.

History: Teach about the life of Christopher Columbus. Great questions to foster great group conversations are: What was Columbus trying to discover? Was it easy for him to find someone to fund his trip? What was his birth name? What did his father do for a living and what country was he born in? If you were sailing with Columbus what would you want to take with you?

Geography: Chart by coordinates the path that Columbus took to the "New World". Have students make their own map of the "New World". Show and talk about where Columbus landed when he got to North America. Talk about where he was supposed to land.

Sociology: Discuss with students what the current customs were for people like Columbus in his day. Talk about how this differed from the customs, language, way of life, art, and music of the Native Americans that they met when they got to North America.

Science: Since corn is often affiliated with the crops of the Native Americans you can make your own popcorn by starting early in the season with fresh corn and go through the whole process. You can also discuss corn and how it grows and all the ways we use it today including as an alternative energy source.

The possibilities with Columbus Day are endless. Most students love learning about the ships, the travel, the customs and the whole overall story of Columbus. This is the perfect time of year to get them excited about these things. It is also a great time to discuss how immigrants brought diseases to North America that were not originally native to here. This can even lead into conversations about where viruses like H1N1 have originated and how they got here. This also lends itself to discussions about how we fight these diseases and the importance of immunizations on a global scale.

Fall Season Lesson Ideas

Fall is a splendid time for discovery with students. There are so many great lesson ideas that can be used in a variety of subjects. Here are just a few ideas on how to enjoy the fall season with your students.

• Chart temperatures - This is the perfect time of year for students to chart the changes in the temperatures. As the season progresses student's will note how drastically the seasons change. This is a great opportunity to teach students to graph, chart and analyze material. They can also summarize the findings and share them with their peers or the teacher. You can even have them give a "weather report". It's fun to get out the video camera and let them see their videos of their reports. This is a great way to add geography into the lesson if you have them use a map behind them of their state or the country and to talk about the weather in different places. By having students find out about the weather in places other than their hometown you help them realize that the world is so much bigger than there own little corner.


• Subjects of interest for students to do some research on are things such as: Why do the leaves on the trees change colors? What is the chemistry behind this color change? Why do the leaves fall off of the trees? Why does this change not happen to trees that are evergreen? These are great topics that foster researching skills but also writing, grammar, and handwriting.


• Write fall poetry. Use any pattern of poetry that you like. Possibly have a poetry recital where students share a memorized poem (of their own or another author's work) with a group or class.


• Great fall activities are: raking the leaves and letting kids jump in the piles, take a field trip to go see the fall colors in your area or a close by area, dry out fall leaves and then make a rubbing of the leaf in fall colors on pieces of paper. If you collect several types of leaves you can have students learn about the different trees.

There are so many fun things to do when there is a change in the seasons. Get outside and enjoy the fall weather, do something active with your students and get them involved in hands on learning. These will be lessons and memories that will stay in a student's mind and heart. We hope these give you a few ideas or at least some inspiration to add something fun to your usual curriculum.

Special Education Overview

The United States Department of Education has an Office of Special Education Programs to help those individuals from birth to 21 years of age with disabilities. These programs help fund, support and lead the special education efforts in our communities across the country. The need for these programs is on the rise. With increasing awareness of special needs and disabilities as well as learning disabilities we now have more resources than ever to fit the needs of individual students.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities states that:

• 2.9 million students are currently receiving services in special education for their learning disabilities.
• Most people with learning disabilities have the disability affect their reading ability.
• 44 percent of parents that saw warning signs of learning disabilities in their children waited at least a year or more to take the signs seriously.
• 38 percent of kids with learning disabilities drop out of school.
• Students with learning disabilities are more at risk for substance abuse due to their lack of self esteem and trouble with their schoolwork.

There are thirteen different reasons (general) that qualify a student for special education services. These are: learning disabilities, autism, brain injury, deaf/blind, speech and language problems, visual impairments, hearing issues, multiple and cross over disabilities, orthopedic problems, mental retardation, serious health issues, behavior disorders (or emotional), and multi-sensory impairment.

Hooked on Phonics Review

Hooked on Phonics is a company that has been in business since 1986. They started as a company based on teaching children to read. Then in 1990 Hooked on Math was born. Since then things have just taken off and now the company takes in subjects like foreign language, spelling, many levels of math, reading for all ages, handwriting, Bible stories, and more. Their method is proven and they have a high success rate.

Hooked on Phonics has been the recipient of many awards. Among these are Teacher's Choice Awards for Learn to Read Pre-K Edition (2009), Hooked on Handwriting (2007), Hooked on Phonics Master Reader (2004), Hooked on School Success (2003), and Hooked on Math (2001). These are just a few of the awards they have won. They have also received awards from iParenting Media, The Association of Educational Publishers, Creative Child Awards, The National Parenting Seal of Approval, National Parenting Publications, and Dr. Toy.

While the success rate for Hooked on Phonics is high and they teach great skills for the foundation of readers and other subjects, it has to be said that it can be very repetitive. Which is great because it really gets the sounds and everything into a child's mind but it can be too repetitive at times. The great thing is that you can skip tracks on the cd's and move forward in the workbook to meet your child's needs.

The games, and all of the materials you are given are well worth the money. It would be hard to put a price on having your child learn how to read and enjoy the process. This system allows for a lot of parent/child time together. These programs make a great addition to any curriculum or to just use as a single subject curriculum for homeschool use.

Palindromes

A palindrome is a word, phrase, verse or number sequence that reads the same forwards as it does backwards. Children and adults alike enjoy these wonderful things.

When an author composes literature solely based on palindromes it is an example of "constrained writing". This form of writing is very common in poetry. Constrained writing is just writing where the author is bound to certain form. Besides palindromes, other types of constrained writing are: Anglish, Anagrams, Reverse-Lipograms, Chaterism, Unicolavic poetry, Acrostics, Alliterives and more. Each has their own rhythm and form and the author is bound to those which is why it is constrained. This is a method of writing that can be used with any method of schooling or learning style.

Palindromes can be dated back to 79 A.D. This was discovered in ancient graffiti when it was seen on a wall. One example of why these are so amazing is that the words can form a square like shape:

K

A

K A Y A K

A

K

You can then fill in the other blanks in the square with other palindromes so that the top vertical and far left horizontal lines are the same and so on. This may seem easy but use the word above and see if you can make a square full of palindromes so that it works in all directions. This is a great things to present to students. Even if at first you ask them to make up words that follow the rules of a palindrome and then move on to using words found in the dictionary. Student's benefit greatly from any kind of work game.

It is fun to have student's make up there own palindrome sentences. For example:

Race car I saw. = Was I race car?

Note that that the punctuation doesn't matter, nor does it matter if it makes sense or not. It is strictly for fun and to see what you can come up with. These types of games and ways of thinking make the brain think in a different way and it opens up a new line of creative thinking. Different teaching methods can use these activities and games for various things.

Other words that are palindromes are: pop, madam, toot, sis, and more.

A great place to find free worksheets for fun with palindromes is: enchantedlearning.com/english/palindromes.

School Music Programs

It's not news that school music programs are some of the first affected by budget cuts in our public school systems. However, at times, we may not realize the vital role that these programs have in our children's lives.

The Journal of Research in Music Education in 1998 stated that children between the ages of 3 and 5 who received songbell lessons had increased spatial-temporal scores. What does this mean? These children have a better ability to visualize and manipulate visual patterns. These are key thinking processes for professions such as engineering, architecture, science, artist, and mathematicians.

A recent Harris Poll (University of Kansas) stated that kids who were involved in great music programs tested 22 percent higher in English and 20 percent higher in math than there peers that did not have quality music programs. The testing was based on the No Child Left Behind standards.

The College Board in 2006 noted that students (with musical training) who took the SAT scored 52 percent high in the verbal portion and 43 percent higher in the math than peers who did get music programs. This is a huge difference and should be noted among all educators who ever try to get rid of school music programs.

A great quote from Dr. John Mahlmann says: "Research confirms that music education at an early age greatly increases the likelihood that a child will grow up to seek higher education and ultimately earn a higher salary. The sad irony is that ‘No Child Left Behind’ is intended to better prepare our children for the real world, yet it’s leaving music behind despite its proven benefits. While music clearly corresponds to higher performing students and adults, student access to music education had dropped about 20 percent in recent years, thanks in large part to the constraints of the No Child Left Behind Act."

"If you want to be a CEO, college president or even a rock star, the message from this survey is: take music. As with reading, writing and arithmetic, music should be a core academic focus because it is so vital to a well rounded education and will pay dividends later in life, no matter the career path taken."

* Statistics and quotes taken from The National Association of Music Education. These comments were made in response to the No Child Left Behind Act in 2007 in regards to the fact that the government program neglects music education in it's standards.

School Accreditation

In today's education world the options are without limits. There is something for everyone. With K-12 there are private schools, public schools, charter schools, homeschool and probably something else. Then there are boarding schools and military schools. For colleges and vocational schools you can go to a campus or you can get most of your education online.

While all of these options are fantastic for the general public it does raise some concerns. Parents with children in Kindergarten through high school need to be very careful that their child is going to get a high school diploma and credits from a source that is recognized as they enter college and/or the work force. The same goes with continuing education. You would hate to waste time getting a masters degree or other degree just to find out that no one would recognize your work.

Students cannot receive federal aid or other funding if the school that you choose is not accredited. The key is to make sure you ask smart questions when you are choosing a school. Make sure that you ask if the school is accredited and even if they say that they are make sure you ask who they are accredited with and do your homework on that organization.

Preschool Developmental Milestones

The preschool years are important for many reasons. There are crucial developmental milestones reached during this period.

Children from 3-5 (preschool age) need to develop the following skills:

Social skills:

• At age 3 a child is starting to play cooperatively with other children. They can take part in structured games, remember rhymes and songs. They are learning to share and make real friends.


• At 4 years old make believe begins to take the form of real life (play house, play store, restaurant play, school). 4 year olds will often choose a best friend and is strongly influenced by their friends. They are also learning about rules and understanding them.


• For the five year old independence is the order of the day! They love having responsibility so chores and other activities are great. Positive reinforcement is a key factor for the self esteem of the five year old.

Motor Skills:

• 3 year olds walk in an adult manner, quickly moves around obstacles, climbs ladders, uses slides alone, pedals. For fine motor skills the three year old does puzzles, finger paints, molds with clay, stacks blocks and makes shapes with a crayon or pencil.


• 4 year olds have more controlled running and walking. They can easily hop on one foot and catch, throw and bounce a ball. They can also take care of simple self grooming.


• 5 year olds fine tune their motor skills in almost everything they do. They are always climbing, jumping, skipping, playing in general and even balancing on curbs. They are growing fast and need many vitamins and minerals so they don't become vitamin deficient.

Language and Thought Processes:

• Three year olds speak sentences. They are usually about three to five words long. Can do puzzles that require matching pictures and shapes. Learns through hands on experience. Grasps time: now, later, before and soon. Put together the cause and effect of things.


• Four year olds have increased sentence structure where they combine thoughts and ideas. They think literally and start thinking logically. A 4 year old understands that symbols and pictures relate to real things (or represent them). They begin to know the difference between real and "make believe".


• Five year olds are more analytical than ever. They love more complex and abstract problem solving. The five year old loves conversation and taking their turn to speak in group settings. The vocabulary is increasing at a rapid speed.

Keep in mind that the rate at which children develop in any category varies. These are basic and broad milestones and preschool age characteristics. If you have any doubts about your child's development you should consult with your pediatrician.

School Teacher Pay

Here we will briefly discuss a teacher's duties and school teacher pay as well as the job prospects and forecast. 
The Bureau of Labor Statistics states the following about public school teaching:

• Public school teachers must be licensed with a bachelors degree and completion of a teaching program.
• States offer alternative programs to draw people into the teaching field with a focus on positions that are typically hard to fill.
• Job offers are out there but vary depending on demographic regions.

Teachers are to promote the education and social skills of children in their early years (K-12).  Teachers play a key role in the future of the child.  The tone they set in the classroom, the support they give and the knowledge they impart all shape the child's future. 

In subjects as mathematics, science, and English among others teachers prepare presentations, assignments, demonstrations, and activities to teach different concepts and to increase critical thinking skills.  Teachers also assess, grade and evaluate students.  This helps a teacher build a curriculum that will fit the needs of their particular students in any given classroom.  Teachers may do this using various teaching methods.

Elementary school teachers play a key role in the development of children early on while middle or high school teachers go more in depth in the subjects presented earlier.  While an elementary teacher will typically stay in a room of students all day and teach various subjects, middle or high school teachers have a specialty. 

Training requirements may vary from state to state.  This can also depend on the type of school.  Whether it is a private school, college, charter school or public school makes a difference in what the requirements for training of the teacher are. A common thread in public schools is that teachers be licensed. 

In 2006 there were 4 million jobs in education (excluding special education) from Kindergarten to high school.  It is fore-casted that between 2006 and 2016 there will be a 12 percent increase for jobs in education. 

In May of 2006 it was reported that the average pay of teachers was between $43,000 and $48,000 per year.  In the lowest 10% of jobs the wages were as low as $28,000 to $33,000 per year.  According to AFT (the American Federation of Teachers) beginning teachers with a bachelor's degree earned about $31,000 per year in the 2005-2006 school year. 

To add to their salary teachers can do a number of things.  Further certifications can often yield more pay, coaching sports, working in after school and extra curricular activities, or getting a master's degree.  A teacher can also be paid more by becoming a mentor.

Your Child's First Report Card

School is starting and naturally there will be those Kindergarten students who have their first day of school. With this can bring joy, exuberance, fun, fear, anxiety, and stress among other emotions. These emotions do not just belong to the children but also the parents. If a child went to preschool the child and parent may be in a better position to know what to expect because there will be similarities. However, if a child did not attend preschool they will be just fine. Your child will be getting their first report card and this should be considered a time for communication and growth, not as a negative thing. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has some ideas on how to help families with the benchmarks of the report cards.

• Talk - ask your child about their day at school, what they learned, who they played with and what went on in detail. Your student will love telling you about their day typically and if they don't love talking about it you may want to ask the teacher if something is not okay. While all children are not prone to conversation, most love to talk about themselves, this is just normal behavior. Use it to your advantage, it is part of being involved in the child's education.
• Talk more - but this time talk to the teacher. Ask if they are available by phone, email or if they have a class website to keep parents and the class connected. Whatever you do, make this a positive relationship if you possibly can. The parent/teacher relationship should be one of mutual respect with a goal of what is good for the child.
• Be open with your child. Tell them what you discuss with the teacher. Tell them their strengths and bring up the things they are beginning to master. Be sure to keep positive wording in the conversation so the child feels like they can really conquer the subjects and tasks they are working on in school.
• Besides staying positive, be sure to give much praise. Make a big deal out of work well done and skills that get mastered. This will build your child's self esteem and help them throughout their whole lives.

It is important to talk to your child about report card time. Let them know that this is just a generalized report of how things are going overall in the eyes of their teacher. Be sure to let them know that if there are things that need to be worked on that you will be there to assist them and that they CAN master the skills necessary to have a positive report card.

Other things that can make all the difference on how your child views report cards and will also result in better grades or remarks are: stay involved in your child's education (not just during the school year but all year), get to know the teachers, know the classroom and volunteer as much as you possibly can, read to your child everyday, set the example that education is important and that learning is a lifelong and enjoyable journey, be aware of the school calendar, help with field trips and be sure to know what is going on in the class from day to day, attend all parent teacher conferences and open houses that are held, oversee homework, help the child be prepared each day, look over their work that they are handing in, know what criteria the teacher is basing the grades on, limit video game and television time, and finally establishing routine is key to a child's development. Kids do well when they know what the expectations are and what the consequences are as well as knowing the family schedule.

When you get involved in your child's education everybody wins. You will be there first hand to watch your child blossom right before your eyes. There is not greater reward!

Toddlers, Preschoolers and Problem Solving

We have all observed a toddler or preschoolers ingenuity with solving problems. They may use a straw as a spoon, they may use any number of objects as a hammer. They realize that to get to something they want to reach they have to stack boxes and climb or open drawers on a dresser to use it as a ladder. While some of these may cause panic in parents and caregivers they are all great signs that the toddler is learning to solve problems on their own. Naturally caution needs to be observed so that the child's safety is the priority.

It is crucial for parents and caregivers to realize that at times the best thing they can do when they see their child facing an obstacle is to stand back and let them find the solution. How else can they possibly gain the critical thinking skills necessary to do the task themselves. This critical thinking process is key as the child grows, matures and finally becomes an adult.

Certain toys are great for teaching children cause and effect. For instance a jack in the box. The child knows that if they crank the handle eventually Jack will pop out. Or a peg board with a hammer where the child learns that hammering down the different shaped pegs causes them to have to turn the board over to continue hammering. These are great toys and there are so many like them that teach cause and effect and don't cost a lot of money.

Puzzles are great for kids for many reasons. This gives a child spatial reasoning as well as critical thinking and problem solving techniques. Just think of the steps a child goes through as they do a wooden puzzle that may have different animals that they have to match and put in the right spot. The child first identifies which picture looks like the puzzle piece they are holding, they then go to put the piece in the appropriate spot (motor skills), when it doesn't work the child realizes that turning and twisting it will eventually make it fit. This is a great key for learning how to solve problems. It teaches the brain that you just keep working at something but keep trying different ways to solve the problem.

By providing interesting and stimulating (this does not mean high volume or high dollars) toys for your toddler and preschooler you will foster the ability to solve problems. Also, you will find yourself with a much more content toddler and a happier child overall. After all, these skills build self confidence and a child's work is his play. Early childhood development is important. Remember that you can help your child gain further skills if needed by enrolling them in preschools (if old enough) and play or preschool groups with structured activities are great.

Direct Instruction

Direct Instruction is teacher led and is a very successful way to present information to students. It follows a definite pattern with steps to help students get to the desired outcome. Teachers are able to efficiently feed a lot of information to students and the greatest bonus is that because this teaching method is teacher led it can be tailored to the student's specific developmental stages.

How it works is broken down into categories:

Introduction: The first issue is to gain the focus or attention of the students. Students are informed as to what they will be learning and what the goal is. If necessary the instructor can give a review of past information if the new information is a building block on the older information.

Development: In this step the teacher demonstrates the goal of the instruction. The instructor needs to be sure that there are clear expectations and that each student understands the goal. This can be done by asking key questions that will let the teacher hone in on any problems or misunderstanding that student's may have. It is a good idea for teachers to use visual aids, or other methods of reinforcing the concept.

Guided practice: After the development phase is over the teacher can then present tasks and activities for the student's to accomplish. The teacher needs to closely monitor these activities and make sure that the student's are focused on the overall goal while completing the tasks. This is where teachers may give extra time and attention to students that appear to not grasp the overall concept or the end goal.

Closure: The instructor gives closure to a lesson or goal by recapping the information that was presented and discussing what was learned throughout the activities and tasks.

Independent Practice: This may be in the form of class time activities or homework. The student is given activities and tasks to reinforce what was learned in the guided practice portion of the lesson. The teacher needs to make sure that they only go to this step after it is clear that the student's clearly grasp the concept in the guided practice. This is why the teacher needs to be so aware of the individuals in the class.

Evaluation: This may come in the form of review, tests, exams, essay questions or class discussion. The evaluation phase helps a teacher assess the needs of each individual student and to cater to their needs.

Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning is actually a broad spectrum term in regards to many educational approaches between instructors and students. The idea is that pupils are presented with situations where they will depend on and be accountable to each other. This is very much like cooperative learning and can take in things like writing, group discussions, group tasks, and more.

Collaborative learning does not just have to take in the pupils in any setting. It can also include the wonderful world of technology. Students can use computers to bring data, make graphs, and other tools to their learning experience. The wonderful thing about using computers and networking in this way is that we can and do have virtual classrooms. Where material is presented, students discuss via forum or discussion threads and e-mail groups. Ideas are shared and brainstorming happens. The end result is the same as if they were sitting in a room together but sometimes even greater because each student has the ability to bring technology into play. With online encyclopedias, publishing's, statistics and more, the world is at a student's fingertips and the information can be shared.

The basic idea behind collaborative learning is that the students know that they "sink or swim together". For example, in Army boot camps they use this in some field training. They will send a group of soldiers into a situation that seems impossible and they know that they have to communicate, work together and become united to overcome the challenge. These can be great team building experiences. Not only for the K-12 student, but the military personnel or a Fortune 500 company. Basically all groups can benefit from such challenges, including families.

A key finding in studies done on collaborative learning is that not only does this strengthen groups of people and make them come together but it raises critical thinking skills. It has been identified that when a group uses collaborative learning skills they produce better results, are more creative and are more efficient than individuals going about the same task.

More benefits of collaborative learning are:

Builds student's self esteem
Creates an environment conducive to exploratory learning
Develops high critical thinking skills and thought processes
Fosters good social skills
Helps student's with self management skills
Students take responsibility for each other, not just themselves
Is great for interpersonal relationships
Student's learn to not criticize people, but individual ideas and concepts
Promotes problem solving

The benefits of this learning method are endless, the above are just a few key points. No matter what learning environment you are in, there is a good chance that collaborative learning could be a great thing to implement.

Kindergarten History

Depending on your state's board of education your Kindergarten history curriculum could vary from state to state. The basic concept is teaching children how to connect the child to their world.

The Core Knowledge Curriculum gives lessons to help the child with spacial reasoning. The child is introduced to maps and shows where they live on the map in relation to other people and places. The child is taught the continents and can point to them and name them by the end of the year. The history of Christopher Columbus is taught and when the child grasps where the continents are then they can more readily realize how our continent was "discovered".

The history curriculum is often put in place with geography lessons. The introduction of Native Americans can be taught. It is easy to overlap these subject and to even include art in the process.

Some Kindergarten history curriculum only wants to focus on the child and not branch out to where the child is in relation to the rest of the world. Because children at this age are so much more aware than we give them credit for it is not recommended to simplify things so much.

Teaching history to Kindergarten children can be delightful. The child can learn that what we have today is not how it always was. This can create a feeling of appreciation for the luxuries that we enjoy today thanks to modern science and the great thinkers we benefit from. It is never too young to teach children these things.

History can also take the form of asking children where their ancestors are from. This may help them feel connected to the rest of the world. They can see that not so many years ago they had family on other continents. This is a fun project for the child and the family.