By Elaine Gallagher

            UNO speaks….of critical thinking, of creativity, of leadership, of challenge, of utilizing various intelligences and cooperative learning.

UNO speaks …in support of project-based learning, oral fluency, CLIL philosophy, and world-class excellence during this evolution, this transformation in education that UNO proposes.

The school year has begun in Mexico and I’m already off visiting schools, meeting with parents, providing in-service courses for teachers and administrators, and giving demonstration classes to students, with educators observing. Sometimes, I have four 2-hour courses in one day, with the area-Coach doing a super-human job of getting me from school to school, arriving on time.  As many hours as I may work, I can tell you, from first-hand observation, the Coaches work more hours every day than you can imagine, 7 days a week.

UNO speaks, providing Coaches to support our schools….. and the Coaches respond!

As a Coach and I drive to various schools, I’m thinking that most teachers or administrators have absolutely no idea how hard our UNO coaches are working to resolve issues, to plan courses, to accept 5 -10 phone calls or text messages, every hour, to answer a constant flow of e-mail, to check shipments, to drive me around; sometime it’s 4 hours from one city to another, but the Coach is joking, laughing, and in great humor as we drive together.

Each school logically sees their own situation, forgetting that the Coach has 10 -14 schools to work with, some with several different campuses, some which require 7 hours travel by bus to arrive, complicating an already complicated time issue. As I travel with Coaches, I see, first-hand, what they have to do, and think to myself, «How do they keep positive with such a tremendous load?»

Even beyond their job responsibility, which is to provide academic service to their assigned schools, Coaches have to deal with silly, tedious issues, such as restaurants that don’t send a copy of the factura as a meal receipt, so the Coach can be reimbursed. They need to call the restaurant 2 or 3 times to finally get a factura sent. What a nuisance!

Yet, no matter what…..your schools’ great Coaches keep on…. doing their work, supporting academic needs, and representing UNO to the best of their abilities.

So much for the Coaches…UNO speaks…and the Coaches listen…..

But what am I seeing in the schools?

UNO speaks of «critical thinking»… UNO promotes cooperative learning…UNO provides staff development, and model classes. Now, after three years, into our fourth year of implementation, do I see transformation and success? Do I see some transformation? What’s REALLY happening out there that is good and positive?

The next issue of UNONEWS, I’ll continue!

___________________________________

 

By Elaine Gallagher  

Hi Readers: Here are some ideas and topics to think about as you plan your Staff Development sessions. Classroom Management seems to be a big problem for many teachers, especially at the middle school level.

This article includes questions to get teachers and administrators THINKING CRITICALLY, so that together you can plan a strong school management program, enabling stronger teaching of academics to be smoothly implemented.

STRONG CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Activity #1

Understanding Classroom Management

Take 15 minutes to read, reflect on and record your responses to the following questions. Please be prepared to contribute your responses verbally to the group

1. What is your definition of classroom management?
2. What are some of the main aspects of classroom management?
3. Provide one or more examples of classroom strategies used in your classroom.

 

Activity # 2

Classroom Management Efficiency

As a team, elaborate on classroom management practices, using The Observable Characteristics of a Well Managed Classroom list provided in this article.

Propose practices that will improve these characteristics of classroom management in your classrooms and in the school as a whole. Present your examples to the group.

Characteristics of Good Classroom Management

The Physical Setting

• The room and contents are arranged for productive and formative work that allows for optimal learning.
• The classroom set-up allows for educator accessibility and availability to the students.
• The educational displays set up on the wall space, are educational, orderly, interesting, attractive and simple and not over cluttered. They have relevance to what is taught.
• The classroom is attractive, orderly and clean.
• The materials are accessible, kept in order and supply.
• The classroom is inviting and comfortable yet productive.
• The desks or tables & chairs are arranged for flexibility of actions, easy to move for both individual and group activities, with proximity to the teacher a priority. Rigid rows, similar to 19th century classrooms, are not in evidence.

The Atmosphere

• The atmosphere in the class is positive; a spirit of charity, unity and teamwork reigns.
• The time is used to full capacity for student learning:  time is not wasted; there are few disruptions or distractions.
• Students are engaged in their learning, actively involved in their work and visibly on-task.
• A positive, calm, pleasant, work-oriented environment.
• Teachers let students know that errors are expected as they learn new things, so there’s an absence of fear, tension, or anxiety among the students.

 

Activity # 3

The Physical Setting of the Classroom Environment 

In teams discuss and formulate ideas to develop a bulletin board display and a floor plan for a classroom. List all the materials you will need to set up your classroom. Sketch out the visual plan for the class displays and physical arrangements of the class setup. 

The Observable Characteristics of a Well- Managed Classroom

A well-managed classroom is a task-oriented and predictable environment. The students know what is expected of them and how they are to do it to achieve success.

                                      With Regard to the Students

• The students are respectful of the teacher and of one another.
• The class expectations are well defined and posted centrally for all to read.
• The students know what is expected of them and are able to meet and exceed these expectations.
• The students understand the procedures as well as put them into practice.
• Students are on-task and working.
• The students know the objectives of the assignments they are completing.
• The students know that all classroom work and tests are based on specific expectations essential for their academic formation.
• The students understand that all aspects of what and how they do something in the class affects their own formation and that of their peers.
• The students can work both independently and cooperatively.
• The students are academically successful.
• The students respond positively and appropriately to one another and to the teacher.

                                        With Regard to the Teacher

• The students respond to the teacher.
• The teacher has a plan for everything: procedures, discipline, rewards, lessons, assignments, tests, activities, and even surprises…
• The teacher communicates expectations to the student.
• The teacher begins classes on time and follows the pre-approved schedule in the classroom.
• The teacher has a consistent signal to gain the attention of the students.
• The teacher maintains a formative discipline plan. It is positive, motivational, assertive, purposeful, and constructive.
• The teacher has developed a positive and personal rapport with each student.
• The teacher maintains some form of personal contact with each student on a daily basis.
• The teacher has established clear expectations with the students in terms of presenting, practicing, and positively reinforcing the procedures and norms.
• The teacher is vigilant and uses every moment as an opportunity to form the students.
• The academic instruction is primarily teacher-led and directed.
• The teacher is kind and firm, always available and ready to serve yet maintains the authority of his or her role.
• The teacher circulates the room, goes to each student to check on, assist, and verify their progress by answering questions, giving positive motivation to each one and periodically as a whole. “You are all working so wonderfully on this assignment, great work!”
• The teacher is on top of correction if it is needed and addresses the situation at hand.
• The teacher exemplifies respect and the dignity of the person in dealing with his or her students.

                            With Regard to the Environment

Considerations for the Floor Space

The teacher makes a plan for the setup of the classroom. The physical arrangement involves the set up of the furnishings, the student desks, teacher’s desk, bookshelves, additional worktables, furniture, and workstations.

To design the floor plan, one must consider the flow and ease of movement in the class, visual access and proximity of students to the black/white board and the teacher. The preparation and the arrangement of the physical space in the classroom should enhance the security, efficiency, and accessibility of the students and the teacher.

Consider the following:

• Arrange furnishings and displays suitable to the implementation of the curriculum for the age group.
• Ensure proper furnishings are in place and in good condition.
• Arrange for the number of student desks or tables required.
• During instruction, all eyes should be on the teacher.
• Situate worktables, materials, bookshelves display tables, and learning centers (Pre-K and Kindergarten), around the back and side of the room.
• Ensure exits are clear of obstructions and the room is open and inviting.
• The teacher’s desk can be placed where both the students and the teacher can see each other. The teacher does not sit at the desk to teach. He/she circulates around the room.
• Assign students their desks or table space, and if necessary, place nametags on the desk. This will help the teacher learn the students’ names, establish mutual respect, and maintain classroom control.
• Properly situate and store required work materials, books, papers, pencils, and tools, in an accessible location for the students.
• Place curriculum and resource books neatly on bookshelves and countertops until you are ready to distribute them to the students.
• Have an organized procedure as to how the students keep track of their books and where the books will be stored when not in use.

Considerations for the Wall Space

The classroom is pleasantly decorated with students’ artwork. The classroom decor, which is defined by the teacher, is attractive, interesting, and orderly. Decorations bulletin boards, and materials are educational, and purposeful, supporting the curriculum objectives. The presentation of any form of materials on the walls or on display should be organized and promote the education and formation of the students. The walls should not be cluttered or excessively decorated. What is seen on the walls should express respect for those who will see it.

Consider the following:

• Purchase prefabricated and approved bulletin board materials
• Utilize wall space to reinforce learning concepts. Present them in an attractive and ordered manner.
• Keep visual distraction to a minimum. The displays should be educational, ordered, and simple to avoid student distraction.
• Make a plan for the wall space so as to coordinate and accommodate the curricular topics or themes
• Title bulletin boards with an appropriate graphic. One bulletin board should be reserved for displaying student work.
• Depending on the grade level of the students, one bulletin board should be designated as a calendar board, which remains throughout the year.
• Display student work in an orderly and dignified manner.
• Designate a section of a bulletin board or board for posting the day’s schedule, objectives, class assignments, homework, notices, and upcoming events.
• Write homework on the board before the students come into the classroom. Write it consistently in the same area so the students will be accustomed as to where to find this instruction. Allow class time for them to write down homework.
• Post the morning routine to follow and projects that students can work on if they have completed the regular days’ work.
• A classroom welcome sign should be posted, identifying the theme for that month of school.

Considerations for the Student Work Space

The student work area consists of their desks or tables & chairs, and other classroom areas that serve as storage and organization space for the students’ belongings such as lockers, shelves, or cubbies.

• Ensure the student desks and lockers are neat and orderly at all times.
• Show the students how to keep possessions neat and orderly.
• The teachers and directive team members encourage and monitor the maintenance of this order.
• Assign and label with student names the areas where they will keep their coats, shoes, backpacks, lunchboxes, and binders.
• Ensure the student’s desk only contains the following items: notebooks, pencil case, rosary, drinking cup, etc.
• Store and display student textbooks and binders on shelves from largest to smallest.
• Provide stacking trays and designated area to collect student assignments.
• Designate and set up shelves for storage of materials, pencils, crayons, papers, books,  etc. for student use.

Considerations for the Teacher Work Space

The desk and work area of the teacher is uncluttered, neat, and orderly at all times to set the example for the students. The teacher has a place for everything. What is kept on the desk is relevant to the work and what is taught in the classroom.

The teacher always models good habits of order. The teacher’s desk placement should allow the teacher to be more accessible and visible to the student. This proximity to the student is a means of preventative action in the formative discipline of the students. This accentuates the teacher’s presence and diminishes the possibility for misbehavior among the students..

Have a bookshelf and filing cabinet near the teacher’s desk and use it to store items needed on a regular basis. These are for the teacher’s use only.

Use stacking trays or upright organizers to hold and organize important papers, teachers’ editions, etc. Use each tray/compartment for different types of information. For example, one tray can be for extra copies of blank forms, while another can be for extra copies of recent assignments. Each teacher must have a system of organizing and keeping papers.

Ensure the teacher’s desk is in order at the end of the day. Develop this habit and model this to the students. Be selective about what is kept on the teacher’s desk. If something is not used at least three days of the week, it should be stored elsewhere.

 

Activity # 4

Recall a Classroom Management Blooper

Reflect on a past teaching experience in which you did not properly provide procedures or directions for the students to follow and the results of this oversight. Share examples of such experiences considering the importance of clearly understood and communicated systematic procedures.

 

Activity # 5

Developing Classroom Procedures

Take time to reflect on the subject of your procedures and consider all the steps needed to carry out each procedure. Once you have developed the procedure and steps, practice these in teams. Role-play the teaching of a specific procedure using The Three Steps to Teaching Classroom Procedures, which follow, and present the procedures to the other participants.  Review the Classroom Procedures Guide. Practice these in teams.

Classroom and School Procedures

Procedures are required for all aspects of the school. The following is a list of the actions that require student procedures.

• Morning routines: for example, -upon entering the classroom, we take out our books, notebooks, or iPads for class, and read silently until class begins.
• Movement within the classroom: how to line up, stand, sit, transitions in class, from one class to another, at recess, at lunch, entering the classroom, class dismissal
• Housekeeping: storing personal items, clean up, student responsibilities (floor clean up, rows in order, etc.)
• Organization: systems for collecting, grading and returning papers and homework, grading-recording grades, extra credit, portfolios, distributing materials
• Completing lessons: for example, distributing and collecting materials and assignments, behavior expectations during lessons, class participation
• Interactions between teacher and student: how to gain the teacher’s attention, how to ask for help, when and how to address peers
• When one is Recording absenteeism
• An emergency alert and situation
• Disposing of trash
• What to do when one enters the classroom
• How and when to sharpen pencils
• Tardiness
• Listening
• Responding to questions
• Responding to the bell
• Going to the bathroom
• Class discussions
• Obtaining a pencil, paper or other materials
• Gaining the class’ attention as a whole
• Keeping one’s desk and belongings orderly
• Working in groups
• Notebook work
• Turning in assignments
• Exchanging papers
• School wide announcements
• Going to the library
• In the gymnasium
• At recess
• Textbook distribution
• Students turning in work
• Rewards and incentives
• Communicating with parents
• Signals for students’ attention
• Daily routines – beginning of day, transition times, independent and group work
• Agenda use and motivators
• Discipline guidelines and rules
• Fire drills
• All routines activities

This list is a clear indication of the necessity of procedures based on the many and varied areas that must be clearly directed, explained and understood by both the teachers and the students.

Three Steps to Teaching Classroom Procedures 

      1. To present

• Present what the procedure is to the students. Explain, and demonstrate modeling the procedure for the students. This involves a verbal explanation as well as providing a written copy of the procedures to the students (depending on the age level) and posting the written procedure in the classroom for the student’s referral. The procedures must be presented in the first days of school. This begins with those procedures utilized within the classroom and a progression to those outside the classroom. Not all the procedures can be taught in one day. The instruction of procedures should be distributed and practiced throughout the first week of school.

 

      2. To practice

• Provide students with opportunities to learn and practice the procedures. The teacher encourages this is by modeling procedures, and in working closely with the students. Once the students are given a procedure, the teacher practices the procedure with them to help them to understand and carry out the procedure in the correct manner. The teacher ensures that every student carries out the procedures properly. The student learns the procedure at this phase and practices the procedures through the proper rehearsal of each one.

• In the first days of school, it is essential that the teacher continually models, re-teaches, and encourages the students practice these consistently. The teacher must monitor the progress of the students to ensure that they are carrying out the procedures properly. Time well spent in these first days of reviewing procedures will multiply time in the days ahead since the students will know what to do, how to do it, why they do it and ideally will want to do it.

• For a child to learn something new, it must be repeated or practiced on average eleven times. For a child to unlearn a behavior and to replace it with a new behavior, the new behavior has to be repeated on average 27 times. This emphasizes the necessity to teach the procedure correctly the first time.

       3. To positively reinforce

• The teacher continually practices the procedures with the students, positively motivates them and corrects the students as required. The needed corrections should be made on the spot to reinforce the correct behavior. The teacher has the student practice the procedures until they know them well. The teacher recognizes their progress, gives praise, encouragement, and works to have the students internalize these procedures as routines.

• Positively reinforcing in addition to praise and reward helps the students to appreciate the greater good in the practice of the procedures for themselves and for the others as they adhere to them. The goal is to have the students practice the procedure because they recognize the value in doing so and want to do it.

 

Activity # 6

Introducing Classroom Rules 

• Develop a procedure for introducing the classroom rules to the students. Review Introducing Classroom Rules. Determine your approach and list the classroom rules. Take time to reflect on the steps to present the rules to the students. Role-play the teaching of the rules and present your results to the other participants.
• Introducing Classroom Rules
• When introducing the classroom rules:
• Tell the students why the rules are necessary.
• Give the example of the need for rules in sports, at a football game, in traffic, as a means of understanding the necessity for rules in all aspects of life.
• Have the students contribute and generate possible classroom rules they think are needed to function effectively in the classroom.
• Brainstorm with the students and write down all their ideas. From the rules, they have given you, condense them into five workable rules, and explain to them how and where their rules are incorporated into the five main classroom rules. State what the classroom rules are.
• Establish a set of classroom rules to guide the students’ behavior. Discuss the rationale of these rules with the students to ensure they understand the “why” behind the rule and see the need for each rule. Keep the list of rules short. The school might have a list of general rules to follow however the list should include paying attention, respect for others, how to respond, moving in the classroom, securing materials and completing homework assignments.
• Post the rules in the classroom. Make them visible to all and keep them posted throughout the year. Keep rules to a minimum so students can remember them.
• Post rewards and positive consequences for these rules.
• Examples of Specific Rules (Grades 1-12)

o   Be in your assigned seat when the bell rings.Remain seated unless you have permission to do otherwise

o   Bring all books and materials to class

o   Follow directions the first time they are given.

o   Listen carefully while others are speaking, never interrupt, hands down when someone is speaking.

o   Respect all others 100% of the time.

o   Follow all directions and complete your assignments.

o   Stand to greet visitors entering the classroom.

o   Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.

Each student should be given a copy of the rules and all classroom procedures. Consequences for behavior should also be clearly understood by the students.

• Be in your assigned seat when the bell rings.Remain seated unless you have permission to do otherwise

 

Recognition Sunshine or grace notes to parent/student Recognition in the newsletter A smile Display work Round of applause Encouraging words Positive notes to the parents on behalf of school Awards given at ceremony Positive personal award Verbal praise daily, words of encouragement

Tangible Rewards Snacks/ Pizza or Popcorn treat Free pass to event Video treat Make posters Bonus points Extra credit Stickers Raffle tickets for privileges, prizes Work on puzzles (note: this kind of activity should have a curricular value and still be fun) Draw a mural Class party Team prize Written praise Have lunch with the principal Draw on the chalkboard Use colored chalk Choose any class job for the week

       

Activity # 7

Student Responsibilities 

• Identify possible classroom responsibilities for the students. List the responsibilities. Write a description of the responsibility and the step-by-step procedure to properly fulfill this responsibility by the students in the classroom. See the list of the Types of Student Responsibilities for additional examples.

o   Responsibility: (e.g. Line leader)

o   Description of the duty.

o   Step by step procedure to fulfill the responsibility.

• Types of Student Responsibilities

o   Line Leader

o   Plant Caretaker

o   Board Cleaner

o   Book Patrol

o   Shelf Inspector

o   Floor Patrol

o   Lights Monitor

o   Mass Readers

o   Mass Servers

o   Sacristan Team

o   Liturgy Team

o   Reception Team

o   Classroom Leader

o   Paper passer

o   Messenger

 

Activity # 8

Classroom Management Tips 

• Working in teams, review the Classroom Management Tips.  As a team develop and share additional classroom management tips that can be used in the classroom.

The following are some tips that will help in the classroom management and day-to-day dealing with the students.

• Learning names:

Set up a seating arrangement whereby students’ names are quickly learned. Calling a student by his or her name in the first days of school gives the student an increased sense of well-being. It also gives greater control of situations: «JOHN, please stop talking and finish your work» is more effective than «Please stop talking and finish your work.

• Signal:

For Pre-K and Kindergarten, classes use large tag board and make one with a green circle, one with a red circle and one with a yellow circle. Red means a time where there is absolutely no talking. Yellow means that some talking and/or movement are allowed. Green means more interaction with peers is allowed. Post the cards at the beginning of certain sessions or activities.

• Give me five:

Use a variety of ways to get the students’ attention.

One way is «Give Me Five”. Extend five fingers out on your       outstretched arm. This means… «Two eyes watching, two ears         listening and one mouth closed.»

Another meaning of «Give me five», is to accomplish FIVE actions simultaneously. Practice this wit the students during the first week of school.

1. Eyes on the teacher.

2. Nothing in your hands.

3. Hands on the desk or table.

4.  Absolute silence.

5. Listen

• Lights:

Gain the students’ attention by turning the lights off and on again.

• Personal interest and treatment of students:

Each student must be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Greet students at the door each morning. Take a genuine interest in each student. Get to know each student personally; learn about the students’ family and personal situation; offer praise and encouragement frequently; attend to students as individuals not just as a class as a whole; seek to speak to each one in some way personally every day. If this is not possible, make some form of special contact with the student such as making eye contact and giving them an extra special smile, a pat on the back, a personal acknowledgement of some sort.

• Esprit de corps: There are many aspects in developing esprit de corps, foremost,  a teacher’s enthusiasm, love, level of concern and interest for the students and class, affects the level of class unity and charity. This important spirit helps to bring out the best in each student. The charity lived in the school develops as the esprit de corps. This in itself makes the school program much more enjoyable and fruitful.

• Every minute counts: As part of an effective routine, students need to begin work immediately after the bell rings. Interesting problems, trivia questions or reflection topics can be placed on the overhead projector to challenge the students until the first period begins. This could be an introductory activity leading directly into the day’s lesson.

• Virtue of the month: The virtue of the month serves to focus on a particular virtue to cultivate in the students. Refer to the virtue, look for the virtue put into practice and reinforce this good behavior for the students on an ongoing basis. Teaching the virtue of responsibility helps to motivate and direct the students in the initiative and follow through of the expectations.

• School traditions: Traditions create that atmosphere of enthusiasm, charity, joy, and family spirit in the school. Emphasize the value of the traditions to the students. Encourage them to identify, love and appreciate the traditions. These assist in building school spirit,  as well as their school family.

• Daily schedule preparation: Post the daily schedule; use alternate colors for interest and maximum visual attention. Review the schedule each morning.

• Varied seating: Vary the seating arrangements of the students at different times of the year. This gives the students the opportunity to learn to work with new neighbors and to be able to have some variation with proximity to the board, and teacher.

• Music: Play calming classical instrumental music at certain times during the week in the classroom. Studies have suggested that calming instrumental music is effective in developing creativity.

• Folders: Each student should have a school folder in which all-important papers are sent home. This folder can also be used for homework and will help to keep the student organized.

• School store: If using a point system, accumulated points can allow students to make purchases at the store (items kept in a special box, closet, case). The merchandise can be displayed at certain periods at the beginning of the week. This works as a visual reminder and an incentive for the students.

• Proximity: Close proximity sitting next to the student, speaking calmly to the student or just standing close by will decrease disruptive behavior.

• Problem solving forms: Use one of the various problem-solving forms when conflicts arise. A «Letter of Apology» form than can be used when a student needs to apologize to accompany a verbal apology in more serious cases. A plan of action form to improve or to achieve a goal.

• Class points: Display a tally system of points on the board. Every time students are performing well, give them a point. When the class earns a certain number of points by the end of the week, reward them with a special class activity at the end of the week.

• Marble jar: If the class is doing well add a marble to the marble jar. When the jar is filled, they get to do a special class activity. Count the marbles regularly as a regular math activity for Pre-K students.

• Positive popsicle sticks: Write out positive comments on Popsicle or craft sticks like «great helper», «super effort,” etc. and hand them out accordingly. When each student receives a certain number of Popsicle sticks, they can receive a reward.

• Providing assistance: Once the lesson has been presented, answer individual student questions. During this time, be aware of what is happening in all areas of the classroom. Circulate among the students to monitor and provide assistance to them.

I hope these eight general topics will support you to constructive staff development sessions for a successful academic cycle in 2014 – 15.

_______________________________

 

by Elaine Gallagher

As we start a new school year, and we continually talk about school leaders and teachers being «change agents», or we say that our goal is «transformation», have we truly given thought to what this implies?

Based on extensive surveys of its work force and performance data, Google discovered that its most innovative workers “are those who have a strong sense of mission about their work and who also feel that they have much personal autonomy.”

Google’s findings have a strong congruence with bestselling author Dan Pink’s work, that the «source of human motivation and our best work comes from the drive towards autonomy, mastery and purpose.»

This can clash with high-prestige and credentialed individuals who are driven by external recognition and rewards, not curiosity and craft. This can clash with bureaucratic entities, with rigid, inflexible lines of command. This can clash with agencies that look at written reports, detailed planning, or grades instead of what’s actually being implemented, produced, or exhibited by great teachers, creative employees, or challenging students.

Until we can get to the humanistic point where the personal autonomy of our employees is valued and expected, what we might end up with is people who can follow the rules, but not necessarily those who are after moon-shot innovation with extreme dispatch, passion, and verve. Conformity kills creativity.

Those few, passionate, autonomous people are the real change agents of the world! Provide the atmosphere that innovators need…otherwise, transformation will elude your workplace!

_____________________

 

                        

by Elaine Gallagher    

Dear readers of UNO’s English corner,

Sometimes you may be looking for more ideas to keep your class alert and pro-active. This a good moment to begin accumulating material for a bigger, better, and even more successful 2014-15 school year.  ENJOY!

 

Ten activities to promote skills in oral fluency, listening, and note-taking

 

1. COCKTAIL PARTY

This is a free form of speaking practice in which students get out of their seats and converse with different partners in a style similar to that of a cocktail party.

Procedure:
1. Explain the basic «rules» of a cocktail party to students:

• Rule #1: You should talk to more than one person rather than talking to the same person the whole time.
• Rule #2: After talking with someone for awhile, you must close your conversation and move on to someone else.

Also teach students a few lines for striking up conversations (Ex: «It sure is hot today»), and for closing them (Ex: «Well, it’s been nice talking to you, but it’s getting late and I need to get going.»).

2. Let students know whether or not you want them to practice specific material (from a model dialogue, for example), how long they have to talk, and how many people you expect them to talk to.

3. Turn students loose, and join in.

4. When time is up or enthusiasm runs thin, call everyone back to their seats. Close by asking a few students about their conversations. This is generally more fun — and other students will pay more attention — if you ask a specific question appropriate to the activity (Ex: «Tell me a little about the most interesting conversation you had.» «What new things did you learn?») rather than having students summarize all their conversations.

Tips:
1. This format is relatively noisy, so consider the impact this chaos will have on nearby classes.

 

 

2. ROLE PLAYS

These are a form of pair practice which allows students freedom to play, improvise and create. These are useful as a way to practice not only language, but also culturally appropriate behavior.

Procedure:
1. Create situations and roles for students. You may want to base these on a dialogue or something else you have studied in class.
2. Pair students, give them the situation and their roles, and have them carry out the role play. While students should practice material they have studied, also encourage them to be creative and improvise.
3. One way to close is by having one or two pairs do their role play for the whole class. This serves primarily to give a sense of closure and need not go on long. (If each pair performs, too much time is taken and other students spend too long sitting and waiting. Listening to classmates stumble through dialogues is not very good listening practice.)
4. Another way to close is by asking a few students what the outcome of their role play was (was the invitation accepted? etc.). This is much quicker than having students perform, but still provides a sense of closure.

 

Tips:
1. Encourage creativity. If students make an effort to entertain, role plays are more fun to do and much more fun to watch. Be realistic, however, about the fact that not all students are hams, and not all will be great public performers.

 

3. SHOW AND TELL

This informal, but engaging, activity involves bringing pictures or other objects to class, showing them, and talking about them. Show And Tell is good for providing listening practice and arousing interest in a topic; also serves as a good informal warm-up or as a break from «real» class.

 

4. SONGS

Songs are great for making class a warmer, nicer place. For maximum value in language classes, you might first sing or play the song to get everyone interested, and then teach all or part of the words to the song by saying the words and having students repeat (and perhaps memorize) after you. You may not be able to teach all of the words this way, especially if the song is long, but try to have students learn as much as possible of the song by listening and speaking rather than just reading.

NOTE: Write to me if you want lyrics, worksheets, and one Power Point with songs. You may have to find the melodies on Internet, unless I can send them successfully to you via e-mail.

My e-mail is: juniorbarney1@yahoo.com

 

5. SURVEYS

Surveys involve asking the same few questions several times to different people, so they are a good way for students to repeatedly practice questions and answers in a format which encourages genuine communication. For lower level students, this is one of the easiest formats for relatively free communicative interaction.

Procedure:
1. Decide on a topic or list of questions. This activity works better when you are genuinely curious about the results of the survey, and when students are too.
2. Tell students what the purpose/topic of the survey is. Either list the questions you want them to ask or give them a general topic and have them write down their own questions. If you want them to generate their own questions (either individually or in groups) give them time to do this. Variation: Have students work in groups to prepare questions, and then each member of the group asks the same questions. Later they can then get back together to compare notes and report results.
3. Tell students how many classmates they are expected to survey, and approximately how long they have to do it in. Alternatively, assign a time limit for each short interview.
4. Have them conduct the survey. You may need to occasionally encourage them to move on to a new partner. You can either join in or wander and eavesdrop.
5. Close the activity by having a few students (or groups) report their findings.

Tips:
1. Having students move around the class as they conduct their interviews makes things more lively and keeps everyone awake.

 

6. TALKS AND LECTURES

Talks and lectures are useful for helping students improve their listening and note-taking skills, especially for improving their ability to guess when listening to longer stretches of discourse in which it is not possible to catch every word.

This is also useful for teaching culture. (Students are often especially interested in stories you tell about yourself, especially when supported with pictures or other visuals.)

Procedure:
1. Locate information and prepare the talk.
2. Tell students what you are going to talk about, and ask them to take notes. (Taking notes forces them to listen more carefully.) Participants may need some instruction on how to take notes.
3. Give the talk. If students’ listening skills are not strong, it is very easy to lose your audience, so keep an eye out for the glazed-over look that says your audience has been left behind.
4. After the talk there are a number of ways to check comprehension:

• Ask questions.
• Have students write a summary of your talk.
• Give a short quiz.
• Have students write (and ask) follow-up questions based on what you talked about.
• Have students talk or write about corresponding aspects of their own culture.
• Based on your talk, have students work in groups to list similarities and differences between Chinese culture and yours.

Tips:
1. Your country and culture are especially good topics, but other topics such as your experiences in China, language learning, etc. can also be useful.
2. You can make your talk easier to follow by first giving students a list of questions to listen for the answers to, or by writing a simple outline of the talk on the blackboard. Also write down key new vocabulary words that you use.
3. Visual aids of any kind are very helpful.
4. For maximum benefit, try to pitch the talk so that students can follow much of what you are saying, but still have to guess some of the time.
5. You can make talks easier for students with lower listening levels to follow by first giving them clues in the form of questions to answer or outlines, forms, or graphs to fill in. The questions (outlines, whatever) help focus students’ listening, make it easier for students to anticipate and guess, and also enhance motivation and encourage active listening. These can either be written on the board or put in handouts, and gone over with students before the talk.

 

7. TEACHER INTERVIEW

A good speaking activity is having your students interview you «press conference» style about a topic, often after they have prepared questions in groups. This is good for speaking and listening practice, and for encouraging student initiative; it also helps students to get to know you and your culture better.

Procedure:
1. Be sure you are prepared for any questions students might ask on the topic.
2. Tell students that they are reporters interviewing you so that they can write a story for the local paper. Then give them the topic and some time to prepare questions related to the topic. This can be done individually, but it is often better for speaking practice to have them work in groups.
3. Have students conduct the interview like a press conference.
4. If you plan to require a written report, have students take notes. You may also want to put new vocabulary on the board.
5. To close, ask comprehension questions, or ask a few volunteers to tell you what they found most interesting or surprising about what they learned from the interview. Alternatively, you can ask each student to write a short report based on the interview. (For more suggestions on checking comprehension, see Talks and Lectures.)

 

Tip:
1. To ensure that the process isn’t dominated by a few zealous students, one approach is allowing each group in turn to ask one question. This allows shyer students to get their questions asked by the group representative. If there is less need to protect shy students, another alternative is to simply require that everyone ask at least one question.

 

8.  Total Physical Response (TPR)

This is a «Simon Says» type of activity in which the teacher gives students instructions, and they respond by doing what the teacher asks (rather than by speaking). Because students respond with action rather than speech, they can focus their attention more fully on listening to what the teacher says (rather than having at the same time to worry about constructing an oral response). This method is good for building listening skills, especially for students at lower levels, and can also be used to introduce or review vocabulary and even grammar structures.

Procedure:
1. Before the activity, make a list of the instructions you wish to use. (Ex: «Open your books.» «Turn to page six.» Touch your nose with your friend’s pen.» Etc.)
2. Conduct the activity in a game-like manner, repeating instructions and building for faster student responses.
3. If you want to make it more like a game, add the «Simon Says» element; i.e. tell students they should only carry out the instruction if you preface it by saying «Simon Says.»

Tip:
1. This activity can be especially useful for teaching basic classroom instructions to students with very low listening skills.

 

9. TRUE/FALSE LISTENING

For this activity, prepare a number of short statements, some true and some false, and then present them to students as an informal «true/false» quiz. Good for reviewing vocabulary and culture content from previous lessons while also providing listening practice.

Procedure:
1. Write up a set of statements for a short true/false quiz, drawing material (vocabulary, cultural information) from previous lessons. This is most fun if the statements are a little tricky without being mean. The more this seems like a game instead of a test, the better.

2. Ask students to listen to each statement, decide if it is true or false, and write down T or F on a numbered sheet. After the exercise these can be checked as a group. Alternatively, just ask everyone to shout out the answer.

 

10. INTERVIEWS

These are especially good for intermediate or advanced oral skills classes because they allow in-depth exploration of a topic and provide students with practice in explaining opinions.

Procedure:
1. Decide what topic(s) you want students to interview each other on.
2. Give directions for the interviews. Students need to know the suggested topic and approximately how much time they will have. If you want students to write up their own list of questions they will also need a few minutes to do this.
3. Pair students. Often it is good to find a way to pair students with someone other than the person sitting next to them (who they probably already know fairly well).
4. Have students carry out interviews. Once student A finishes interviewing student B, you can ask them to switch roles, or even switch partners. You may want to set a time limit, and call out when partners should switch roles.
5. To close, ask a few students to report some of the more interesting things they learned from their partner during the interview.

Tips:
1. Topics which involve opinions or information not shared by everyone in the class are best because they make interviews more genuinely communicative.
2. Role-playing and interviews mix nicely; for example, one person might be a reporter and the other a famous person.

___________________________

By Elaine Gallagher

                Music is the only activity that uses ALL of your brain, both right and left sides. Recently UNONEWS’ English Corner presented plans and a complete lesson for incorporating music in your English classroom, using Sergei Prokofiev’s  1936 masterpiece, «Peter and the Wolf».

Because of readers’ interest in music, we’ll continue with more research-based information about the effectiveness of music in the classroom.   In case you aren’t aware of the strong, supportive evidence, showing positive connections in the brain between music, and learning, let’s refresh your knowledge with updates from research.

For many years, teachers have been using songs, rhythm, chants, and music to teach students basics, such as the Alphabet Song, or counting rhymes, as «One, two, buckle your shoe…». Much research on music and long-term learning has been published by many univesities, such as  Johns Hopkins University, School of Education. Some of the following ideas come from the book Music and Learning by Chris Brewer.

BRINGING EDUCATION TO LIFE WITH MUSIC

How is it that for most people music is a powerful part of their personal life and yet when we go to work or school we turn it off?  The intentional use of music in the classroom will set the scene and learning atmosphere to enhance our teaching and learning activities. Plus, using music for learning makes the process much more fun and interesting!

Music helps us learn because it will:

• establish a positive learning state
• create a desired atmosphere
• build a sense of anticipation
• energize learning activities
• change brain wave states
• focus concentration
• increase attention
• improve memory
• facilitate a multisensory learning experience
• release tension
• enhance imagination
• Align groups
• develop rapport
• provide inspiration and motivation
• add an element of fun
• accentuate theme-oriented units

WHAT ARE SPECIFIC WAYS MUSIC CAN BE USED IN YOUR CLASSROOM?

Here are three areas of teaching where integrating music can be highly effective. The very young, teens and adults will experience an increase in their effectiveness and joy of learning from these uses of music.

1. LEARNING INFORMATION

Music can be used to help us remember learning experiences and information. Music creates a highly focused learning state in which vocabulary and reading material is absorbed at a great rate. When information is put to rhythm and rhyme, musical elements will provide a hook for recall. Here are three ways we can use music to help us learn information:

 Active Learning Experiences

Music will activate students mentally, physically, and emotionally and create learning states which enhance understanding of learning material. For example, play music with an association for your topic in the background while reading a concise summary of the important information. The more interesting and dramatic, the more easily the information is remembered.

In middle school social studies classes, I’ve read Chief Joseph quotes and a brief synopsis of his tribes’ famous journey toward Canada while playing native music in the background. This introduction to the «Last Free Days of the Nez Perce» is powerful and memorable because the music helps students to appreciate the experience and set the mood.

To activate information physically, play upbeat music during a related movement activity or role-play. For example, while learning about the flow of electrons in electricity, I play Ray Lynch’s Celestial Soda Pop while we create a classroom flow of electricity. Some students are stationary neutrons and protons while others are moving electrons. When we add «free electrons» like a battery would, the electrons begin flowing and voila! we have an electrical current! Ray Lynchs’ upbeat music keeps us moving and makes the role play more fun.

Focus and Alpha State Learning

Music stabilizes mental, physical and emotional rhythms to attain a state of deep concentration and focus in which large amounts of content information can be processed and learned. Baroque music, such as that composed by Bach, Handel or Telemann, that is 50 to 80 beats per minute creates an atmosphere of focus that leads students into deep concentration in the alpha brain wave state.

Learning vocabulary, facts, or reading to this music is highly effective. On the other hand, energizing Mozart music assists in holding attention during sleepy times of day and helps students stay alert while reading or working on projects.

Memorization

Songs, chants, poems, and raps will improve memory of content facts and details through rhyme, rhythm, and melody. Teaching these to students or having them write their own is a terrific memory tool!

 

2. ATTENTION,  ATTITUDE,  AND ATMOSPHERE (The Three A’s)

Preparing for a learning experience can make the difference between lessons well-learned and just passing time. Certain music will create a positive learning atmosphere and help students to feel welcome to participate in the learning experience. In this way it also has great affect upon students’ attitudes and motivation to learn.

 

Here are two ways to use music for attitude, attention and atmosphere:

 

• Welcoming and Attention. Background music is used to provide a welcoming atmosphere and help prepare and motivate students for learning tasks. Music can energize lagging attention levels or soothe and calm when necessary. Simply playing music as students enter the classroom or as they leave for recess or lunch totally changes the atmosphere. Depending on the music, you can enliven, calm, establish a theme or even give students content information with content-songs!
• Community Builders. Music provides a positive environment that enhances student interaction and helps develop a sense of community and cooperation. Music is a powerful tool for understanding other cultures and bonding with one another. Selecting and playing a classroom theme song, developing a classroom «ritual»—such as a good-bye or hello time that uses music, or other group activities with music are ways to build lasting community experiences.

 

3. PERSONAL EXPRESSION

Music is the doorway to the inner realms of one’s brain and soul.  Here are two ways music can help us express ourselves:

• Creativity and ReflectionBackground music is used to stimulate internal processing, to facilitate creativity, and encourage personal reflection. Playing reflective music, such as solo piano in either classical or contemporary styles, as students are writing, holds attention for longer periods of time than without the music. In one study, students wrote twice as much with music than without!
• Personal Expression through the Musical Intelligence The creation of music expresses inner thoughts and feelings, developing musical intelligence through understanding of rhythm, pitch, and form. Writing songs related to academic content allows students to express how they feel about issues brought up in historic incidents, social studies topics or literature. Students can also create an instrumental «soundtrack», with simple rhythm instruments that portrays, in an auditory format, a particularly important scientific discovery, a poignant historical event, or the action within a novel.

 

THE MUSICAL ECHO

As you begin to resonate with your new musical classroom experiences, you may find transformations occurring in other aspects of your life. Your students may share with you wonderful experiences occurring in their lives because of doorways which were opened through the inclusion of music in the learning process. When this happens, celebrate and bless the connections to life meaning that has occurred. Everything that we do as teachers has echoes and reverberations that contribute to the whole of life. If there are no echoes, it may mean that what we are teaching has less meaning than we thought. Expect and enjoy the miracles that occur!

 

THE MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

In 1983 Howard Gardner, psychology professor at Harvard University, presented his Multiple Intelligence theory based upon many years of research. Promoting the concept that intelligence is not one entity but that there are many different forms of intelligence, Gardner has awakened a revolution in learning.

Multiple Intelligence teaching methods recognize eight (though there may be more) forms of intelligence: visual-spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical, and naturalist. Multiple Intelligence teachers strive to broaden students’ familiarity and skill levels in each area.

The Multiple Intelligence teaching model emphasizes education for understanding rather than rote memory or the mimicking of skills. Practical hands-on skill development is coupled with factual knowledge and the ability to apply skills and information in real-life situations and make meaningful contributions to society.

Development of musical intelligence can be greatly aided by the use of music throughout the curriculum. In addition to learning about musical elements and how to create music, the musical intelligence involves developing an ability to respond to musical sound and the ability to use music effectively in one’s life. The value of having students hear music throughout the school day is a means of increasing musical intelligence. Methods for using music in the classroom enhance the learning process and contribute to the development of musical intelligence.

 

ACCELERATED LEARNING

In the 1960’s, Dr. Georgi Lozanov and Evelyna Gateva researched ways to increase memory abilities including the use of music in the classroom. Their successes caught the attention of the world. Various teaching techniques developed from their creative experiments, and today we have a solid format for effective multisensory and whole-brain learning called «Accelerated Learning».  Lozanov’s method shares successful ways of using music for learning

                The use of background music during lectures, vocabulary decoding, or group readings is a cornerstone of Accelerated Learning techniques.  Music is geared to place the student in a relaxed alpha brain wave state and stabilize the student’s mental, physical and emotional rhythms to increase information absorption.  This results in high memory retention.  Accelerated Learning techniques recognize that the learning setting and student comfort level with learning are of great importance to student success.  Lozanov’s methods included using music as students enter the classroom, leave the classroom, and during break times, to help establish a positive learning atmosphere.

 

TURNING MUSIC ON IN YOUR CLASSROOM

Keep in mind that you do not have to use music in all the ways presented here in order to be effective in enhancing learning through music. The addition of even one music technique in your classroom will add richness and improve the learning process. My suggestion is for you to begin your musical journey by incorporating one technique that resonates greatly with your teaching style. When you have mastered this use of music in your classroom, go on to explore a new method. Your students’ enthusiasm and response will be a guideline and incentive for future ideas and uses.

 

ENJOY!

_______________________________________________

If anyone wants a list of suggestions of specific musical titles to be used in various classroom situations, write to me at: juniorbarney1@yahoo.com and I’ll send a list to you.

 

By Elaine Gallagher

To Teachers of Middle School or High School:  

• Copy this list or retype it.
• Print and laminate enough pages so you’ll have one sheet for each PAIR of students.
• Cut apart each sentence, so you have 20 sentence strips for each pair of students.
• Place the 20 strips in a small bag. Have 1 bag per 2 students.
• A student will draw out a strip, read it aloud to his/her pair-partner, and they’ll begin a discussion.
• Allow a specific time for this activity, such as 15 minutes. Then, the strips are put back into the bags, they are collected, and they’re ready for another day in a few weeks. Ask students how many sentence strips were they able to discuss in the designated time.

CIRCULATE TO MONITOR:

Encourage positive, active participation, and 100% ENGLISH USE.

====================================================

 

1. Could you be close friends with someone who did not like your mother?

 

 

2. What trend could you never submit to?

 

 

3. What will convince you to never text while driving a car, if you haven’t yet stopped?

 

 

4. How many soft drinks do you buy in a year?

 

 

5. How do you want to spend your weekend?

 

 

6. What’s missing from your bedside table?

 

 

 

7. If you were to serenade me, what song would you sing?

 

 

8. What code name would you choose for me?

 

 

9. What’s the most interesting conversation you’ve had in the past week?

 

 

10. What made you laugh today?

 

 

11. What’s the most scared you’ve ever been?

 

 

12. If a close friend made a racist joke would you let it slide, or confront him/her?

 

 

13. Which bad table manners set you off in orbit?

 

 

14. Would you rather be friends with someone who reveals nothing personal, or one who tells too much?

 

 

15. What health change do you know you really should make, but know that you won’t?

 

 

16. What kind of music would cause you to leave a really fabulous store?

 

 

17. Explain what you prefer: dogs and cats with «human names» (Barney, Cornelius, Sherlock, Samantha, etc), or pets with characteristic names.(Blackie, Spot, Lady, Kitty, Giant).

 

 

 

 

18. Who’s your favorite superhero? Why?

 

 

19. What is the most boring thing you know about? Why?

 

 

20. What childhood event do you remember the most?

 

 

21. If you won five million dollars in a lottery, what 5 things would you do first?

 

 

22. Of all the movies you’ve seen this year, what is your favorite? Why?

 

 

23. What kind of person do you want to be when you grow up? (3 characteristics)

 

 

24. What adult do you:  Admire the most? Why? Dislike the most? Why?

 

 

25. If you could go ahead in time 25 years, what advice would you give to your children?

 

__________________________________

 

Submitted by Elaine Gallagher

These games build skills in English, digitalization, and critical thinking! They are fun, apt for various ages or CEFR levels A-2 and above. ENJOY THE CHALLENGE!

 

#1. Mind Flipper

Mind Flipper is a simple word game. Since this word game is so simple, it may also appeal to children and be a useful tool for parents and educators.

The goal of Mind Flipper is to form words by clicking on the ties, then click the submit button (or press the enter key) when you are ready to submit the word. Letters that are added to the word must be adjacent vertically, horizontally, or diagonally from the last letter that was clicked, and must be clicked in the correct order to spell out a word. For a word to be accepted, it must be a valid word of the English language that is at least three-letters long. Words that are submitted will be listed to the right of the screen and cannot be used again for the duration of the current round. There are five rounds in this word game, each lasting for one and a half minutes (ninety seconds). A new board is presented at the beginning of each round, and the list of words is cleared.

Since Mind Flipper is such a simple game, children may be able to enjoy it. This word game can be a useful tool to help students learn how to spell. Since there is no list of words to be found, kids will be able to test their ability to creatively solve problems and take the initiative. Bigger words score more points, but the small size of the field of letters means that smaller words will be more prevalent, another point that makes this word game ideal for children.

Mind Flipper is a word game that provides great mental exercise for older gamers and children alike. If you enjoy word puzzle games or if you want a game that your child can play that will be entertaining as well as mind-stimulating, then you will flip out for Mind Flipper!

 

#2. Semantic Wars

Semantic Wars is an excellent tower defense game perfect for adults and kids alike. This is a great game you can play with your kids or that you can play on your own to get a high score and then challenge your kids to beat that high score.

There are three difficulty settings (Easy, Medium and Hard) making it perfect for kids of just about any age. For younger kids, try out the ‘easy’ setting. It is still fairly challenging but not nearly as difficult as ‘medium’ or hard. Regardless of what mode you choose to play, actually winning the game will take careful thinking and a good strategy, helping your kids develop or strengthen those skills and giving you the chance to develop alongside them.

Your goal in Semantic Wars is to destroy your enemy’s castle; something that’s not terribly uncommon in this sort of tower defense game. The biggest difference between this game and most of the other tower defense games online is that you need to use your name to earn money.

This is also what makes this game so educational. You need money to train and deploy soldiers and you earn that money by trying to solve the word puzzle shown at the bottom right of the game screen. Each correct letter you guess will reward you with money. Guess incorrectly, though, and you’ll lose money.

Taking random shots in the dark just isn’t a good idea for that reason. Look at the category and try to determine what the word is from the category. Naturally you’ll have to guess a bit in the beginning, but make smart guesses. Choose commonly used letters. Once you get a letter or two, try to figure out the word. The trickiest part of this, though, is that you have to be relatively quick. The enemy will be attacking and you need the money from those words to deploy soldiers to defend your castle. If your castle is destroyed your game is over.

There are three different types of soldiers you can use in Semantic Wars. Using those soldiers properly is extremely important if you want to make it through the game.

1. You have Melee warriors (the sword icon)

2. Shooters (the arrow icon)

3. Wizards (the fire icon).

Melee warriors are great for short-range combat but they offer no shooting skills. Shooters are excellent for mid-range combat but are of little use for short-range battles. Wizards are great for long and short range combat but they are not armored like melee warriors, which means they take very little damage from enemies before they’re eliminated.

All three soldier-types can be upgraded using the experience you earn each time you use a unit from each different type. This basically means using a wizard will give you experience to upgrade wizards, using melee warriors will give you experience to upgrade melee warriors and using shooters will give you experience to upgrade shooters.

Upgrading your soldier categories will allow you to produce stronger units. As with most tower defense games, upgrades are extremely important when trying to survive the game.

There are several power ups throughout Semantic Wars that can definitely help you do well in the game. These power ups will be dropped from a balloon that appears over the battlefield. Keep an eye out for them and collect them as often as you can.

When collecting power ups, though, don’t go out of your way of the power up that’s dropped doesn’t really offer much in the way of benefit for you. The star icon with the ‘x’ over it offers magic resistance. This gives you a great advantage when tangling with wizards.

The plus icon offers regeneration. The benefits for that one are pretty obvious. The lightning bolt symbol offers extra power. The ‘A’ symbol reveals a letter in the word puzzle. The shield icon gives you a boost in your castle’s defenses. The dollar sign icon gives you an income boost. The wrench icon offers repairs for your castles and the ‘3’ icon reveals the beginning of the word in your word puzzle. All of the power ups offer clear bonuses, but look at what you need in the game and determine if the power up will help you enough to go out of your way to get it.

The only way to do well in Semantic Wars is to focus on the word puzzles just as much as you’re focusing on the battle strategies. You also need to conserve money. If you reach a zero balance in your bank, guessing a wrong letter will cost you castle health and that’s definitely not something you want – especially if you have no warriors on the battlefield. It’s also important to choose your letters wisely.

Try guessing vowels first and then common consonants like ‘R’, ‘S’, ‘T’ and ‘N’. That can help you fill out the puzzle and made it easier to guess the word. It’s also vital that you pay attention to the category. The category helps you narrow down your guesses and will enable you to make more educated guesses.

The greatest thing about Semantic Wars is that it is a great teaching tool for kids. Unlike many of the other tower defense games online there is huge potential for learning with this one. Your kids will need to develop a decent strategy for the battles which strengthens their logic and planning skills, but the addition of the word puzzle is where the real learning comes in.

Although the word puzzles will be difficult in the beginning, your kids will improve their spelling, improve their typing skills and even expand their vocabulary. This is a very education-focused game.

The greatest thing about it, though, is that it doesn’t feel like learning. It’s a lot of fun to play, it’s challenging and it’s engrossing. This teaches your children the most important lesson the game has to offer – that learning can be fun.

 

#3. The Wizard’s Notebook

The Wizard’s Notebook is an excellent word game that features a unique and challenging premise and excellent graphics. It’s entirely engrossing and incredibly addictive. The only real problem with this one is quite simple – if you’re running a slower computer than can’t handle graphic intensive games you’re going to have an extremely hard time playing this one.

There is a severe lag problem even on faster computers which can definitely pose problems. As long as you are patient, though, and willing to ignore a few glitches and lag problems here and there, this will be an excellent game for you and one that offers wonderful benefits for children.

The basic premise behind The Wizard’s Notebook is very unique in and of itself. Basically, you are trying to get through each level in the game to rescue your princess at the end. Reaching the end, though, will require you to use your brain and carefully analyze the puzzles presented to you and some of them are pretty tricky.

Patience is important with this one and not just because of the lag problems. It is easy to get frustrated with some of the more difficult puzzles. This on its own offers a great lesson for kids. Patience is important with education and with life. The solution to a problem isn’t always obvious. When frustration starts to get the best of your kids, don’t force them to keep playing. Let them take a step back and encourage them to try again once a little time has passed. Sometimes all solving a difficult puzzle takes is a little time away from it.

In order to complete each level in The Wizard’s Notebook you will need to solve the visual puzzle presented to you by figuring out what word you need to use and typing it in. For example, if you get to a puzzle that it seems you’ll need water for, type in the word water.

Sometimes the answer is obvious. Other times it will take a few more guesses. Again, patience is the key. If you can’t seem to come up with the word, try to look at the puzzle a different way. Every puzzle in this game has a solution. Pay close attention to the clues you’re given. If there is a puzzle you just can’t seem to find a solution to, chances are there’s just something you’re missing.

The Wizard’s Notebook also presents a tremendous opportunity for you to bond with your children and have fun with them while you all learn because it isn’t just the kids that can learn something from this game. As adults we too are always learning.

This game focuses on word puzzles, but it does more than strengthen typing skills and other skills you immediately think of when you think of word games. It improves logic and helps improve problem-solving skills. It also provides you with an awesome chance to show your kids that learning can be fun.

This game never feels like a lesson or a teaching tool. It’s a truly fun and challenging game that keeps you playing from start to finish. The greatest benefit the game offers, though, is that it shows your kids how great it can feel to use their brain to win a game which is something many other online games can’t claim.

This is an excellent word game you can feel good about your kids getting hooked on – just don’t be surprised if you get hooked too! This one is a lot of fun.

 

#4. Savvygram

Savvygram – it has all of the elements that a kids word game should have: it’s simple enough for kids to understand and it’s challenging and fun to keep them interested. The objective of the game is very easy: you are challenged to unscramble the gibberish on the screen… creating a word out of the letters by typing it as quickly as possible. You need to look at the screen and get your hands working and typing without the need for looking at the keyboard.

If you are having a hard time unscrambling what’s on the screen, don’t worry. Savvygram offers a dictionary definition to give you clues or hints. HOWEVER, as the game progresses and you get to the later levels, the words get longer. And most of the time, the dictionary definition or hints are NOT enough. BUT don’t worry. Even if the game gets harder as it progresses, you don’t need to stress out on it. It only lasts for 2 minutes. HOWEVER, believe me, you are going to spend more than 2 minutes on Savvygram whether you are a kid or a grown-up. You will surely challenge yourself to do better the next time around and surpass your previous performance.

You will want to challenge yourself to get more words within the time limit and get a higher score. This is one of the reasons why this game is so addictive and fun!

Savvygram is an excellent word / kids game for anyone – your skill, experience with word games, or age doesn’t really matter. If you want to have fun, then you are bound to have fun with this game! It’s not stuffed with complicated rules like other online word games out there.

Kids can sit back, relax, and focus on enjoying the game rather than reading pages of strategies, techniques, walkthroughs, etc. BUT what about the self-professed experts of word games, won’t they find this game boring for their skill level? My answer: NOT at all! This game is challenging enough even if you are a veteran with word games. You will surely find it interesting enough to keep on trying. This challenge to do better and surpass our personal best records is what appeals to experts of word games.

The rules of Savvygram are very simple… simple enough even for a 9-year old boy or girl to understand within a minute of reading. You have to figure out what the word is and you need to type it as fast as you can. When you key in the RIGHT word, it’s automatically submitted. You don’t even need to press Enter or any other key. On the other hand, if you type in the wrong word (if it’s not submitted, then you need to change your answer), just press backspace and start over.

Just a couple of reminders, you have to keep an eye on the timer which is located on the top portion of the game’s screen. Sometimes, though, looking at the timer pressures me so much that I can’t think quickly. Anyway, if you are having a hard time figuring out the word, just press backspace. Hopefully, the new arrangement of the letters will give you an idea what the word is. If anything else fails, just skip the word rather than let it eat away your precious time.

Remember, you only have 2 minutes for the whole game. To skip, press the semi colon button. Be reminded, though, that skipping would cost you 5 seconds. BUT if you think you would have taken longer in the effort to solve the puzzle, skipping would be worth it.

All in all, Savvygram is, without a doubt, one of the most absorbing and addictive word / kids games you could lay your hands on. The timer makes the game fast paced and exciting. It gives you enough time to tackle different word puzzles BUT it’s not long enough that it seems to take forever.

Along with that, the definitions are a nice twist. It makes the game a little less difficult… BUT it keeps challenging enough so it doesn’t get boring. I can go all day talking about Savvygram, BUT nah, that’s not too fun. Give the game a shot… I’m sure you will have A HECK LOT of fun!

#5. Word Grid

Word Grid is a nifty word game that is fun for gamers of all ages. Word Grid features simple graphics, easy-to-learn controls, and unique gameplay!

Word Grid features three game modes. The common goal of all game modes is to spell out words using adjacent tiles in the grid. For a word to be valid in this word game, it must be an English word no shorter than three-letters long.

If a word is valid, a distinctive sound will play and the word will appear along with its point value at the bottom of the screen. Press enter to submit the word. You may also press backspace to clear individual letters or press escape to deselect all letters if you are unhappy with the word that you are spelling.

The three game modes featured in Word Grid are

1. Timed mode

2. Practice mode

3. Limited mode.

                 In Timed mode, your objective is to score as many points as possible by forming words before time runs out. Each time a word is spelled, additional time is earned. The longer the word, the more time will be earned.

The second mode in this word game is Practice mode. Practice mode offers unlimited time and is good to play to get used to the game mechanics.

The final game mode, and my personal favorite, is limited mode. In this mode, you are given limited time, a limited amount of tiles that may be used, and a limited number of words that you are allowed to spell. When any of the counters reaches zero, the game will end and your score will be tallied.

Since Word Grid is a nonviolent game that tests vocabulary and problem-solving skills, it may be a great game for kids. The potential complexity of the game (particularly the control of gravity and Specials) may not be fully grasped by younger players, but these aspects are not totally necessary to do well in this word game.

Also, since a respectable score can be attained by spelling out short words (as long as they are three-letters long or longer), elementary school students can still do well in it.

Word Grid is an addicting and challenging word game that provides a unique twist to the genre. Word Grid can be played simply by young children or casual players, while older or more experienced players also love to play it!

#6. Arithmetic Challenge

Arithmetic Challenge is a very simple yet very entertaining math game that helps you strengthen your math skills while also having fun. It’s the perfect math game for kids or adults who are either learning math or trying to improve the math skills they already have.

You need to be quick and accurate if you want to get a good score which makes the game challenging and therefore, even more addictive. It’s actually a pretty simple game at its core. There are no fancy graphics or over the top animations. You have your equations on the left side of the screen are your timer and points at the top right side of the screen. Get the right answer and you’ll get a green check mark. Get the wrong answer and you’ll get a red ‘x’. Your goal is to get as many right answers as you can within the time allowed.

Each correct answer gives you one point. No points are deducted for wrong answers but each wrong answer will, more or less, cost you the point you would’ve gotten for a right answer. Being quick is obvious important as you only have sixty seconds to answer questions, but being careful is also important. Finding the balance between both is the key to doing well in this game.

Arithmetic Challenge is one of the best math games online simply because it allows you to strengthen all of your math operations without allowing you to rely on the operation you’re strongest with.

You start the game by choosing which operation you want to work with; addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. The questions you get during that game will only involve the operation you choose.

For example, if you need help with multiplication, you can choose that operation. You will only get multiplication questions. They start off fairly easy but get much harder as the game progresses. This is better than the ‘all operations’ format with many of the other math games online because you won’t be able to just guess at the multiplication questions that give you a hard time and boost your score with simpler addition and subtraction questions.

This will be especially beneficial for kids who will be able to strengthen all areas of their math skills; playing first with addition and subtraction then moving on to multiplication and division when they learn those operations.

Arithmetic Challenge also gives you the chance to show your kids that learning can be fun. You can play this excellent math game with your kids and challenge them to beat your high score. You can get in that all-important quality time with your child and help them strengthen their math skills while also strengthening your own. You can learn together as a family.

If you start with this game when your child is younger, you give him/her a great foundation for doing well in math class in school. In addition, you can also help them equate learning math with something they enjoy instead of something they’re forced to do. While the game can be difficult, kids will love the challenge of trying to beat their parents at a game.

Alternatively, challenge them to beat their own high score; allowing them to continue improving and showing them how much fun it can be to do better than they thought they could do.

Overall, Arithmetic Challenge is an excellent math game to play on your own but is even better to play with your kids. Getting your children to enjoy learning math is easy with a game like this that is simple yet challenging. Make sure your kids aren’t just focusing on what they know the best though.

If you want to get the most out of the game, play through each other the operations a few times to get your high score in each one and then challenge your kids to beat each of those high scores. This is a game you can feel good about them playing for hours because, whether they even realize it or not, they’ll be learning the entire time.

If your kids are struggling, take the opportunity to help them understand math better. Tell them any tricks and rules you know for doing operations faster and above all else, have fun. This is an excellent math game for anyone looking to improve their own math skills or to teach their kids that learning can in fact be entertaining too.

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ANY OTHER GAME SUGGESTIONS?

 

By Elaine Gallagher

The term «academic pre-school», for the purposes of this article, refers to a school which has organized, academic classes (i.e. reading, writing, worksheets, and homework) for children before they are 5 – 6 years old, before entering first grade of primary school.

In the USA, Canada, and Finland there is only one year of public pre-school, called «Kindergarten», (German term: «children’s garden») for children, before they enter first grade of primary. Finland’s Kindergarten begins for children age 6, not younger. In USA and Canada, Kindergarten can begin as early as age 5 1/2, depending on the state or province.

In Mexico, there are public kindergartens for children ages 3 and up: «Kinder 1, Kinder 2, and Kinder 3», with Kinder 3 having children about 5 years of age.

The USA, Canada, and Finland do not teach writing or reading skills until first grade of primary, in order for children’s gross motor skills to be fully developed before emphasizing fine motor skills. They concentrate on social and physical development, music, art, play, and oral fluency in two or more languages.

Kindergartens in Canada and Finland, and in some USA states (usually those on the border with Mexico) are bilingual, English and Spanish (USA), English and French (Canada), and English and Finnish, plus exposure to Russian or Swedish (Finland).

The «official» philosophy of the Mexican Secretary of Education is the same as in the USA, Canada, and Finland…

not to teach writing and reading until first grade of primary so that students will be able to fully development gross motor skills prior to the development of fine motor skills.

Why? Because many research studies since the 1950’s have been confirming that dyslexia can be exhibited by 15% of children in 2nd-3rd grade of primary if they were rushed into writing by ages 3, 4, 5, prior to full development of their gross motor skills. (by 40 years of observations by Montessori and Piaget; confirmed neurologically in 2010 by Dr.Tomas Ortiz, and others)

Yet, despite much evidence to the contrary, eager parents and zealous schools or teachers in Mexico, and elsewhere, have the idea (NOT the proof) that «their» children are smarter, the school is better, if all the students are reading and writing (both manuscript and cursive!) by 5 years of age, BEFORE entering first grade.

Perpetuating this fallacy are many first grade teachers who expect that children arrive in first grade already reading and writing!

I ask you, parents and educators: WHAT IS THE RUSH?

Really, truly, think about that question: What is the rush? What is the difference between a child who can already write at age 5 and one who begins to write at age 6?

Do you want to risk YOUR child’s future? Could your child be among the 15% genetically predisposed to exhibit dyslexia?    Are you willing to take the chance?

Early writing, or even reading, are not necessarily signs of higher intelligence. Much more indicative of intelligence is the vocabulary level and oral fluency of a child or adult. If you are fluent with words, you will easily learn to read and then to write creatively, not simply forming letters.

Once upon a time, many children didn’t attend preschool at all, and those who did spent their mornings cutting, pasting, and playing house or playing with clay or building blocks. These days, preschool is a rite of passage, and “academic” preschools that promise to prepare kids for the cutthroat world of first grade are becoming more and more popular. But are they a good idea?

Not really, say many experts. “Research…shows that academic preschools offer children no long-term advantages academically, but make children more anxious,” says Roberta Golinkoff, author of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children Really Learn and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less.

While every preschool is different, there are some traits the best ones share, according to Martha E. Mock, assistant professor at the University of Rochester Warner School of Education. “Young children learn best through meaningful interaction with real materials and caring adults and their peers, not through the drilling of isolated skills,” she says.

Child development experts say that children in academic preschools often learn math and reading at the expense of their social skills. Kids from play-based programs usually catch up academically, while kids from academic backgrounds may never catch up socially. This can be devastating to their self-esteem.

Not surprisingly, supporters of academic preschools heartily disagree. “Children at that early age are like little sponges, and the more information you can expose them to, the better,” says Shirley Mace, administrator at the Stratford School in Los Gatos, California, who points out that the schedule includes time for play. Nonetheless, she adds, the program is “not for an overly active child…It’s best for one who can sit and focus for 20-30 minutes.”

Plenty of parents say their kids are up for that challenge. “He’s very curious, asks a lot of questions, understands things at a deep level – overall he’s cognitively advanced for his age,” says one mother whose son attended an academic preschool.

Contrary to the stereotype of pushy parents, some families send one child to an academic preschool and their siblings to a traditional play-based school, depending on the child’s personality. Others choose three days per week at an academic program and two days per week at a play-based school, hoping to achieve the best of both worlds.

Whether you feel your child or the students in your school will thrive best in an environment with dress-up corners and sand tables, or one with a regular academic curriculum, the good news is, there’s plenty of choice out there. Just make sure that in addition to any worksheets, there’s plenty of time for free time. Because play should be a major component of every child’s day!

An excellent book, called «Play» (2014), shows the importance of free playtime in children’s lives. Children learn through play, so when young children are required to do much academic work, worksheets and homework, we actually reduce their play-time and stifle their long-term mental growth.

What’s my personal opinion, you may be wondering?

Simple: School should be a place to enjoy, to feel good about yourself, to learn, and to acquire positive habits and values!

I was born in 1942, entered Kindergarten in 1948, where all we did was play, color, play, cut & paste, play, sing, pretend, and play. The thing I absolutely hated was «nap time», but I escaped by hiding in the big dollhouse whenever the teacher was looking the other way.

I learned to read and write in first grade. I was almost 7 years old. I loved school! The mental challenges, open questions, the consistency of a schedule, practicing to do things better and neater.

I still love to read and write, and learned those skills in school by teachers who read aloud to us daily, who had daily structured writing time, so we actually learned how to do original writing, not boring patterns or grammar rules to memorize. We learned grammar by using correct grammar, subtly corrected by teacher when we made errors.

There rarely were worksheets to complete, and practically no homework, throughout primary and middle school was practically non-existent. If there was any homework, it was to study for a spelling quiz or to answer the catechism questions for religion class.

This is the same kind of education I saw for my children (now ages 50 and 46), in both private and public schools in USA. But by the next generation, my grandchildren, (now ages 15 to 24) education had taken a dangerous, negative metamorphosis, with emphasis on high stakes, standardized exams, teacher pressure, and memorization of data. Critical thinking was non-existent, not in the teachers and not provided for the children.

Homework had become so excessive (3 – 4 hours in 4th grade) that I actually went to my grandson’s teachers (departmentalized so there were several), to complain that he had come to live with us for a year to learn Spanish, but we had no time to cook together, to go shopping together, or to have fun together, because of all the worthless, tedious homework.

Much to my shock and surprise, the teachers were not apologetic, nor even polite. One teacher said, «Welcome to the real world of education, Doctor Gallagher. We are here to see that your grandson passes the Texas state exams. I don’t have time to enjoy those things with my own personal children, either.»

Then I went to the school principal with my concerns, armed with facts and evidence of one-week’s homework assignments. She did listen, and was extremely surprised at the amount of work kids were expected to do, from Kindergarten upward. Because the school was departmentalized, children had a different teacher for each subject, and changed classes every hour, as if they were in high school…each teacher giving 30-45 minutes of homework daily, and even more on weekends.

I asked the principal: «Where was quality time with family? Where was time just to be a kid, enjoying life?»

The principal acted. She sent a notice to all 55 teachers and all parents, stating that homework could not exceed 1/2 hour a night total, NOT per teacher. Then she re-organized the school, for the next year, to have self-contained classes (one teacher for all subjects) so there could be more correlation among the academic subjects, not isolated by teacher. Yes, it was more difficult for the teachers to teach several subjects, but it was much better for the students’ learning in primary grades.

That 4th grade year, in May, my grandson received an award medallion to wear around his neck for the highest test scores in the Texas State exams.

Ironically, and sadly, when our grandson returned home to Maine for 5th grade, (yes, having learned Spanish living with us), his scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills for 5th grade reflected almost the same scores as he had performed on the ITBS in Maine in 3rd grade!

In other words, for all the 4th grade drill and kill exercises, emphasis on daily exam practice for the high stakes Texas State exams, excessive hours of homework, he virtually gained NO academic growth during 4th grade, as measured by the ITBS.

BOTTOM LINE:

Children learn to love school and to learn academically beginning in pre-school, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th grades, through middle school, and beyond… by the use of play, physical activities, music, art, interaction with others in social and academic situations, development of critical thinking skills by use of challenging, thought-provoking questions, by practice (not «drill»), by the integration of academic subjects, flexibility, cooperative learning, projects, creative activities, positive teachers, developing organizational skills and good work habits…….

All these positive school experiences lead to positive attributes of self-esteem, ability to work in cooperative situations, empathy for other, self-motivation and self-initiative.

These are the goals of a really great educational program and what we all should be supporting for all of our children, from pre-school and beyond.

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(Thanks to Hannah Boyd for some of these comments.

Additional researchers also have been quoted in the article.)

 

By Elaine Gallagher

WANT A SUGGESTION FOR SUMMER READING?    

 Gifts from Eykis

Great science fiction that your students may enjoy! You can read it aloud to them from 4th grade and up…or by CERF level B-1, they could read it alone.

Copyright © by Wayne Dyer. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

Overview

How would an intelligent visitor from another planet react to life on Earth? Would we welcome that visitor’s presence and views? Are we ready for such an open exchange? Weaving together science fiction, spirituality, and philosophy with wisdom, humor, and plain common sense, Wayne Dyer tells the story of two peaceful beings from different worlds who work together to enhance the well-being of all. The gifts that Eykis brings to the people of Earth help them see themselves in a new light, and compel them to rethink their negative actions. Her insightful offerings will move you to new emotions, new behaviors, and a new understanding of humankind’s limitless possibilities.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

The Arrival

It was difficult to believe. This place called Uranus appeared to be an exact replica of Earth. After years of decoding the Urantian Formulas, I had made my first successful self-transport to another planet, and as luck would have it, I landed in a place that appeared to duplicate home. From all outward appearances, everything on Uranus was precisely as it was back on Earth.

I had assumed that even though I would remain within my own solar system, I would have an opportunity to see something new, something genuinely different, if I traveled to a very distant planet. I thought that Uranus would be far enough from Earth for me to experience a whole new reality creatures made of gases who changed shape, or at any rate something to equal the vivid imagination of the Star Trek writers whose work I admired so much. I had pictured myself moving about in time warps, leaping forward or backward millions of years by some magical ability to transcend my body. The years of anticipation and hard work had not prepared me for this shock: there seemed to be no difference at all!

Authors and researchers who considered the possibility of a duplicate planet usually imagined mirror images, reversals of good and evil and the like. However, never, even in my most fanciful moments, had I expected to find a literal sister planet, a place that exactly duplicated Earth. It was almost as if the residents of Uranus had undertaken to deliberately reproduce our world, step by step in every single aspect. Their great oceans, mountain ranges, and deserts were in exact proportion to those of Earth. They even had identical names. There was not only a Sahara Desert, there was even a Sahara Hotel, I suspected they had observed us with a very powerful telescope, and faithfully reconstructed Earth on Uranus. Certainly they had every detail right. Traffic jams took place at five o’clock in the afternoon in all the major cities, there was starvation in the «Third World,» there were huge shopping centers and fuel-efficient small cars imported from «Japan.» They hadn’t missed a thing.

I was beginning to think I had been hoodwinked. Perhaps I had been tricked into believing that I was the first Earthling to visit another planet and in fact I had never even left home. Perhaps my secret research on the Formulas had been penetrated, and I was going to be used as propaganda bait to fool the Soviets-allowing the enemy to think we had achieved some technological breakthrough that did not really exist. I thought I’d seen a movie about this at one time. But somehow I knew better. I had felt the impact of molecular transport. I had experienced myself hurtling away from Earth through the void of space. I was sure, but the doubt lingered. It struck me that the only way to verify that I was truly on Uranus was to stop looking at the external images, and to see if in fact the people themselves were also duplicate Earthlings. From all outward appearances they seemed to be.

I decided to select one of these Uranus people to interview in depth; if he or she turned out to be exactly like all the Earthlings I’d met, I would return home immediately and develop the ability for travel beyond our solar system. I hadn’t come billions of miles simply to see my own world. I had begun this project with a desire for adventure and excitement; The prospect of fitting myself into a new world of people identical to those I had left behind was not particularly exciting.

I settled into my room at one of Uranus’ finest Holiday Inns, flipped on the television, and began to ponder how I could learn about the inhabitants of this world that was at one and the same time alien and familiar to me. The -irony of my predicament did not escape me. I was in a strange land, and yet I felt as if I’d never left home. Even this hotel room was like those I had seen a thousand times before- miniature soap bars, a tiny ounce of shampoo in a brown plastic bottle, a kind of soiled cleanliness to the bedspread, and an unread copy of the Gideon Bible in the dresser drawer.

My mind was filled with questions, and yet I found myself struggling with the «How-to-go-about-it» thinking that I often employed to avoid taking any action. I had learned a long time ago that the way to make sure that something got done was to start it. But I’d also learned how to combat that notion, which required effort, sweat, and all those qualities I loved to observe in others and to eschew in myself. Instead of taking charge, I used my predicament to keep my mind focused on what I should or shouldn’t do. I moved to a more advanced form of evasiveness. I considered the questions I would want to ask. Do you have wars? Are you preoccupied with rules? What about cancer, and how do you see this mystery we call death? Do you have schools and do they emphasize grades and obedience? Do you wear designer jeans, and if so, why? Do you have the same history as we do on Earth? Do you know about us? Will you ever visit, and if you did, would you be friendly? Do you have nuclear weapons and a Jane Fonda?

Are you really the same identical creatures as we are inside as well as outside? Do you have emotions, fears, anxiety, and tranquilizers? The questions were bombarding my consciousness almost as fast as I could record them on my miniature portable tape recorder. (Could I replace the batteries here? I wondered.)

As I said these words to myself into the tape recorder, the word «anxiety» was repeated in the room. I couldn’t believe it…

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            Want to make a better first impression and engender positive feelings that last a long time? Focus on what you say as much as what you do.

 

            First impressions can lead to lasting impressions. So to improve, a lot of people will tell you to dress better, read more (so you’ll have interesting things to talk about), and ensure that your online presence is respectable (because many people will check you out online before meeting in person).

 

            But, how far will that get you? Despite what many people would like to believe, the things you say often make an even greater early impression than the things you do.

 

            To take advantage of that and get you started easily, here are 7 words or phrases that you should make a habit of saying every day. They’re virtually guaranteed to improve your standing with others if you use them often enough.

 

WORDS #1 and #2: «Sir» and «ma’am»

            American culture is pretty informal compared to many other places in the world, but a little bit of formality can really make you stand out in a positive way. I carry this inclination from the military, and also from having been a lawyer in the federal court system. These are environments in which people use the titles «Sir» and «Ma’am» constantly–not just in talking with high ranking military officers, but also addressing civilians.

            I know that this doesn’t work in every situation, but using these titles can be a sign of respect that gets people’s attention. It can be important in professional relationships, especially when dealing with people you don’t know well, and who are older or more experienced than you.

 

                        PHRASE #3: «You’re welcome.»

            Sometime in fairly recent history it seems people stopped saying, «You’re welcome,» and started substituting, «Yep,» or, «No problem.» At the risk of sounding older than I am, I think this is a step in the wrong direction–at least in a business or professional setting.

            Why? Because ditching «you’re welcome» for these other phrases changes the message.

«You’re welcome» acknowledges that you’ve done something worth someone else’s thanks, while «no problem» suggests that it wasn’t that big of a deal. Saying the former phrase conveys that you think it was a worthwhile favor. That’s an impressive message to send.

 

PHRASE #4: «Here’s what’s happening.»

            If you’ve ever worked in an environment in which people guarded information like a valuable commodity, you’ll appreciate how much affinity you develop for the few people who try to keep everyone else accurately informed. Of course you don’t want to be a know-it-all or spread rumors. However, even if you don’t know the full story, being willing to share the information you have that affects others’ lives can make you instantly more likable.

 

PHRASE #5: «How can I help?»

            Nobody accomplishes anything amazing alone. Thus, with the exception of the sociopaths among us, we’re all eventually grateful to those who help us achieve great things. I think we’re especially grateful to those who proactively try to help.

This doesn’t mean you have to go way out of your way to offer assistance, but it’s often the case that you have access to something or the ability to do something that won’t take much on your part, but that can really have a positive impact on someone else’s success.

 

PHRASE #6: «I’ll find out.»

            This is one of my favorite phrases. It’s related to «how can I help,» but is even more proactive. It says that you’re not only willing to offer assistance, but that you’re willing to go out of your way to do so. (By the way, this helpful phrase is also the diametric opposite of the most bureaucratic phrase known to humankind, uttered incessantly by some of the least likable people: «That’s not my job.»)

 

PHRASE #7: «I believe in you.»

            Henry Ford recalled that when he was still an unknown, and was working on gasoline engines, a few short words of encouragement from an already famous Thomas Edison were a massive shot in the arm. It’s amazing how just a little bit of validation from other people can inspire people to work harder and achieve more. Four short words can have a huge, positive impact–both for the people you’re encouraging, and for their feelings toward you.

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