Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Teenage students and You


It doesn’t matter which part of the world you are in
your teenage students will be going through a difficult
stage of their journey between childhood and adulthood.


They will be going through a great deal of personal
changes and dealing with difficult questions, while
consciously trying to fit into the environment around
them, eager to be not only be accepted, but be ttreated
with respect and fairness. At the same time your
teenage students will be in need of authority and
guidance. While you may think it best to take on the role
of friend most teenagers much prefer a teacher who
values and respects them.


When dealing with teenage classes always maintain a
strong and clear teacher/student relationship, keeping
control of the classroom at all times, but at the same
time encouraging your students to influence the
topics of the lessons. Don’t look to your students for
lesson plans, always show that you are responsible for
the class and that lessons well planned, but encourage
them to give ideas, ideas which will be listened to and
acted upon.


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Using resources


Good teachers will always use resources in their classes
to bring a lesson to life, and this is even more so
important when trying to motivate a TEFL class of
teenage students. Good uses of resources will not only
get the attention of your class but it will also inspire
creativity and break the tension in within quiet and
difficult classes. Here are some resources you should
try:


Music

Teenagers of all culture relate to music, it is often the
best way to get teenagers to express themselves and
connect with a lesson.

Role Playing


Role playing is an ideal way to bring quieter classes to life. Acting gives your teenage TEFL students a chance to release any anxiety or tension in a safe and

controlled way, helping them really connect to the
subject and making for a memorable lesson.


Social Activities


Teenagers are very social creature by nature, though
many may seem shy or reserved, most teenagers long
for social interaction. Group activities can be a great
way to get a shy class to bond and working together.


Pop Quizzes


We don’t mean surprise quizzes, rather quizzes on the
topic of pop culture. Students hate being tested on the
things they are taught in school, it makes them feel
controlled, but allowing them to express their knowledge
of their hobbies is a different thing altogether and will
often get them highly motivate.


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Games 


Who doesn’t like games? While teenagers don’t like to
be treated like children, they do have a very competitive
nature and giving them a chance to show off and
compete in small groups is a great way to bring class
interaction. Just make sure to give everyone a chance
to shine.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Is my teaching effective?

Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk to colleagues about it too. You might think or tell someone that "My lesson went well" or "My students
didn't seem to understand" or "My students were so badly behaved today."

However, without more time spent focussing on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions about why things are happening. We may only notice reactions of the louder students.

Reflective teaching therefore implies a more systematic process of collecting, recording and analysing our thoughts and observations, as well as those of our students, and then going on to making changes.

If a lesson went well we can describe it and think about why it was successful.
If the students didn't understand a language point we introduced we need to think about what we did and why it may have been unclear.

If students are misbehaving - what were they doing, when and why?

Beginning the process

1. Peer observation

Invite a colleague to come into your class to collect information about your lesson. This may be with a simple observation task or through note taking.

This will relate back to the area you have identified to reflect upon. For example, you might ask your colleague to focus on which students contribute most in the lesson, what different patterns of interaction occur or how you deal with errors.

2. Recording lessons

Video or audio recordings of lessons can provide very useful information for reflection. You may do things in class you are not aware of or there may be things happening in the class that as the teacher you do not normally see.

Audio recordings can be useful for considering aspects of teacher talk.

How much do you talk?

What about?

Are instructions and explanations clear?

How much time do you allocate to student talk?

How do you respond to student talk?

Video recordings can be useful in showing you aspects of your own behaviour.

Where do you stand?

Who do you speak to?

How do you come across to the students?

3. Student feedback

You can also ask your students what they think about what goes on in the classroom. Their opinions and perceptions can add a different and valuable perspective. This can be done with simple questionnaires or learning diaries for example.

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What to do next

Once you have some information recorded about what goes on in your classroom, what do you do?

Think, You may have noticed patterns occurring in your teaching through your observation. You may also have noticed things that you were previously unaware of. You may have been surprised by some of your students' feedback. You may already have ideas for changes to implement.

Talk Just by talking about what you have discovered - to a supportive colleague or even a friend - you may be able to come up with some ideas for how to do things differently.

If you have colleagues who also wish to develop their teaching using reflection as a tool, you can meet to discuss issues. Discussion can be based around
scenarios from your own classes.

Using a list of statements about teaching beliefs (for example, pairwork is a valuable activity in the language class or lexis is more important than grammar)

you can discuss which ones you agree or disagree with, and which ones are reflected in your own teaching giving evidence from your self-observation.

Read

You may decide that you need to find out more about a certain area. There are plenty of websites for teachers of English now where you can find useful teaching ideas, or more academic articles. There are also magazines for teachers where you can find articles on a wide range of topics.

Or if you have access to a library or bookshop, there are plenty of books for English language teachers. Ask Pose questions to websites or magazines to get ideas from other teachers. Or if you have a local teachers' association or other opportunities for in-service training,
ask for a session on an area that interests you.

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Courtesy:  http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

Personal Teachers diary

This is the easiest way to begin a process of reflection since it is purely personal.

After each lesson you write in a notebook about what happened. You may also describe your own reactions and feelings and those you observed on the part of the students.

You are likely to begin to pose questions about what you have observed.

Diary writing does require a certain discipline in taking the time to do it on a regular basis.

Writing a teaching diary

Here are some general questions to get you started:

Lesson objectives

• Did the students understand what we did in the lesson?

• Was what we did too easy or too difficult?

• What problems did the students have (if any)?

• Was there a clear outcome for the students?

• What did they learn or practise in the lesson? Was it useful for them?

Activities and materials

• What different materials and activities did we use?

• Did the materials and activities keep the students interested?

• Could I have done any parts of the lesson differently?

Students

• Were all the students on task (i.e. doing what they were supposed to be doing)?

• If not, when was that and why did it happen?

• Which parts of the lesson did the students seem to enjoy most? And least?

• How much English did the students use?

Classroom management

• Did activities last the right length of time?

• Was the pace of the lesson right?

• Did I use whole class work, group work, pairwork or individual work?

• What did I use it for? Did it work?

• Did the students understand what to do in the lesson?

• Were my instructions clear?

• Did I provide opportunities for all the students to participate?

• Was I aware of how all of the students were progressing?

Overall

If I taught the lesson again, what would I do differently?

So score yourself as a teacher.....

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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Multimedia boards are coming into Lagos Classrooms


The Lagos state Government has concluded plans to acquire 2,000 multimedia interactive solutions for all secondary school and Tertiary Institutions in the state to replace the traditional chalkboards.
The state will also host the first Cambridge-Hitachi Virtual Teaching and Learning Center in Nigeria. The state Governor, Babatunde Fashola stated that the government would be partnering with Cambridge-Hitachi to make the dream a reality.

A statement on Tuesday by the Director, Local Organising Committee Cambridge-Hitachi Virtual Teaching and Learning, Ms. Adebukola Oluderu, quoted  Fashola as saying the move was to upgrade the educational sector in the state.

Fashola said, "All tertiary institutions and secondary schools, totaling about 10,000 in Lagos state, will have the multimedia interactive solutions in each of their classrooms to replace the traditional chalkboards which will allow for world-class teaching and learning."

Oluderu said the state's partnership with the company was a result of a roundtable meeting on education in Africa held in October 2014.
According to Oluderu, the decision of the state government was indicated in a bid forwarded to the Hitachi Group for tertiary and the secondary schools in the state. She added that the meeting was yielding result with the Lagos state Government pioneering the hosting of the center.

Oluderu said a team of delegates from the state would meet with the Cambridge-Hitachi team at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the commencement of the center.

The multimedia solution is vital and important to teaching and learning as it is the hub in which the gains of the Cambridge-Hitachi International Virtual Teaching and learning Center will be transferred and transmitted to all schools," she added.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, said the approval given to Lagos State to host the center was based on Outstanding  performance, availability of infrastructure, and the determination of the state government to improve teaching and learning quality in the educational sector.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Global standards for teaching and learning

HEAD of School, City of Knowledge Academy (CKA), Ogun State, Abiola Lamikanra, has urged education managers in the country to
incorporate global techniques in the routine of teaching and learning in all schools.

This, she said should be in tandem with regular training of teachers in contemporary trend and practices, arguing that they are the group that transfers knowledge to the students.

Addressing reporters shortly after a facility tour at the school, located at Itanrin, Ore-Sagamu expressway, Ijebu-Ode, Lamikanra stressed that the objective of every school should be, among others, prepare students that are global in orientation and at par with their counterparts around the world.

According to her, “Teaching children about global issues is very imperative and raising a child in a 21st century requires a common sense; one century is not different from another,
the only thing that happens now is that we are more global in perspective, we are all very connected, whatever happens in Australia in one minute, the whole world knows the next minute, so to be able to get our children participate globally we have to be very active in the use of technology and this should be the target of all education managers.”

“At CKA, while grooming our students with our ethical pillars which is culture, character and confidence, we also explore other avenues.

There is a programme we call Physical, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, where they discuss personal responsibilities and other life skills.

“We pay a lot of attention to the acquisition of life and organisational skills, time management and interpersonal relationships. There are other programmes they take in conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and fixed mindset versus growth mindset.

All these are designed to ensure our students are well equipped to cope
with future academic requirement, they are not examination subjects, we are simply teaching them the ABC’s of this life,” she said.

She further stated that there are virtual learning platforms, where teachers engages students and parents could as well access it, urging school managers to make effective use of such platforms.

She said, “In CKA, technology is used as a tool not for decoration, when the children are in class they make effective use of the interactive board, they have their netbook with them and as the teacher is interacting with them, they are exploring the Internet together.”

On the ethical pillars of the school, she said, “Our emphasis is also on culture, character and confidence. We have explored the dimensions of character in today’s world, in terms of accountability, honesty, responsibility and leadership. Having good character is important
to us all in maintaining a good position in a society.”

“For the culture, we do not want to produce children who do not have a trace of their culture, not just their culture but to also have respect for other people’s culture. On the aspect of confidence, our children have confidence in themselves, they can go anywhere in the world and participate actively in any programme.

We build their self-esteem and that is important in educating a child in today’s world.

However, after the tour of facility, which
revealed that the school is indeed a home of knowledge, some parents of the school who were present at the school’s open day ceremony, expressed joy at the tremendous academic and infrastructural achievement of the school.

Outstanding Teachers being Honoured

In keeping with its tradition in every January, the Corona Schools has celebrated its teaching and non-teaching staff who have demonstrated extra ordinary commitment to accomplishing the mission of the school.

The occasion featured various forms of
entertainment by the staff and climaxed with giving award to different categories of workers. The most outstanding is the Model Teacher of the Year Award.

In the 2014 edition, Mr. Innocent Oaikhena won the Corona Model Teacher of the Year Award in the secondary category; Mrs Oluwatosin Balogun, Corona Model Teacher, Elementary;
and Mrs Naomi Izakpa, Corona Model Nursery Teacher.

Narrating the teaching methodology that gave them the edge over their colleagues, Oaikhena stated that for adequate learning to take place, teachers must see their students as projects which must commence with solid foundation,
well floored, erected and monitored to a
complete structure.

“For effective teaching to take place, teachers must see their students as projects, like the engineering designs and set up a structure.

Your students, their happiness and their success is your project. So if any student doesn’t do well, if any student is sad, and I’m there as a teacher without any significant impact, it then means I am failing in my project.

“Also, you must act like a teenager to be able to work with these students. Most of the things they go through, we have passed through them before and as adults, we should try to guide them right without condemnation. That is why
you are there as a teacher, if they knew
everything, they will probably not be in school,” he explained

For Izakpa, who has been teaching in the
school for 17 years, every teacher in Corona is good, very dedicated, hardworking and loyal.

“But for me to have won this award, it means greater work and commitment, because getting the children to understand what you are teaching them at that formation age requires strategic action.

“Nursery education is a level where pupils have to gain background knowledge, and so it is a point of duty for a teacher to bring the lesson to their level and ensure they understand the right thing. A teacher at this point should be very careful so as not to inculcate the wrong learning or culture into the pupils.”

Balogun, on her part, informed that her passion for teaching has been a strong drive.

“I love teaching right from when I was in school, I studied Geology and I used to teach my course mates who call me professor. I also have passion for children. The fact that I love Mathematics, and I realised most children have phobia for mathematics, I looked for creative ways to make it real fun, as much fun as possible because what you love you want to do it over and over again.”

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the
school, Mrs. Olufunto Igun, said Corona is
endowed with people of diverse strength and skills drawn together by a common passion which, according to her, is the education of a total child.

“This strength of ours has continuously made our school to remain very relevant in the education sector. This year, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of this great institution, the journey so far has been remarkable. We are not just known to deliver world class education, we
have carved a niche for ourselves in the industry and this is by no means a task achieved by a few individuals, rather by everyone.”

She stressed that the award was designed to reward and recognise deserving staff who, during the past school year, took advantage of
the immense opportunities within the system and excelled by sustaining their professionalism, creativity, commitment, ethics and self- development.

Written by Ujunwa Atueyi

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Help your Students Succeed

Teachers who transform lives understand not only how to teach curriculum, but also how children develop into capable, caring, and engaged adults.

They see beyond quantitative measurements of success to the core abilities that help students live healthy, productive lives.

Famous educator Maria Montessori wisely remarked, "The greatest sign of success for a teacher. . . is to be able to say, 'The children are now working as if I
did not exist.'" The world has changed dramatically since the early 1900s when Montessori made her mark in education.

Yet the same goal remains: scaffolding children toward self-sufficiency. How does this occur today, particularly when test results often seem more
important than the development of a child ready to tackle career-life challenges?

In a nutshell, it happens when we understand how children and teens successfully mature to adulthood and how we impact their growth in key developmental areas. Based on decades of research in child and adolescent development, neuroscience, education, and psychology, we know that relationships with teachers, parents, and other supportive adults determine how
school-age children acquire their personal guidance systems, full of interconnected abilities and pathways to success.

When we envision those abilities as an
internal compass, it's easy to see how education and development go hand in hand -- how children navigate successfully through school and life.


A framework for understanding why kids need these interconnected abilities and how they're nurtured in different contexts, it's also a call to act on behalf of children who deserve to live full, meaningful lives beyond external measures of success.

Is the first in a series of nine posts on how teachers develop these internal abilities in the classroom. Each month, we'll take a deeper dive into one of these eight compass attributes:

Curiosity

Curiosity is the ability to seek and acquire new knowledge, skills, and ways of understanding the world. It is at the heart of what motivates kids to learn and what keeps them learning throughout their lives. Curiosity facilitates engagement, critical thinking, and reasoning. We nurture children's curiosity and other life-long learning skills when we encourage them to identify and seek answers to questions that pique their
interests. When we help them recognize failure as an opportunity for exploration, we encourage experimentation and discovery.

We help them understand the tenets of engaged learning when we recognize the different ways they explore -- touching,
tasting, climbing, smelling, etc. -- and praise them for their perseverance in finding answers. When we show
them how parts connect and influence the whole of society, they discover that curiosity improves relationships, fuels innovation, and drives social change.

Sociability

Sociability is the joyful, cooperative ability to engage with others. It derives from a collection of social- emotional skills that help children understand and express feelings and behaviors in ways that facilitate positive relationships, including active listening, self- regulation, and effective communication.

We impact children's sociability when we help them understand that the words they choose make a difference to the relationships they create.

When we teach them that every social interaction is tied to an emotional reaction, we help them avoid impulsive behavior and think through difficult situations before acting. We also build their capacity for collaborative teamwork.

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to meet and overcome challenges in ways that maintain or promote well- being. It incorporates attributes like grit, persistence, initiative, and determination.

We build resilience when we push students gently to the edges of their intellectual, emotional, social, and physical comfort zones. Our support and
encouragement as they take risks, overcome challenges, and grow from failure helps them learn to bounce back from life's ups and downs.

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to examine and understand who we are relative to the world around us. It's developed through skills like self-reflection, meaning making, and honing core values and beliefs. It's situated at "true south" on the compass to symbolize that introspection is about looking into ourselves.

Self-awareness impacts children's capacity to see themselves as uniquely different from other people.

We stimulate students' self-awareness when we engage them in reflective conversations about values, beliefs, attitudes, and moral dilemmas.

By encouraging them to understand and attend to their intellectual, emotional, social, and physical selves, we let them know that we value their full human
potential.

Integrity

Integrity is the ability to act consistently with the values, beliefs, and principles that we claim to hold. It's about courage, honesty, and respect in one’s daily
interactions -- and doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

We shape children's integrity by treating them with respect and dignity, and listening to their feelings and concerns without judgment. When we praise students for demonstrating their values, beliefs, and principles through actions, we remind them of their value as ethical human beings, beyond a grade or test score.

Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness is the ability to find and use available resources to achieve goals, problem solve, and shape the future. It draws on skills like planning, goal setting, strategic thinking, and organizing.

We encourage students to be resourceful when we set high expectations and support them to accomplish their goals. When we teach them to be strategic
thinkers and adaptable problem solvers, they learn to live without rigid rules or preconceived ideas.

Creativity

Creativity is the ability to generate and communicate original ideas and appreciate the nature of beauty. It
fosters imagination, innovation, and a sense of aesthetics.

We inspire creativity when we encourage young people to express themselves through writing, poetry, acting, photography, art, digital media, unstructured play, etc. When we notice and praise them for thinking outside the box and taking risks, their imaginations blossom.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to recognize, feel, and respond to the needs and suffering of others. It facilitates the expression of caring, compassion, and kindness. It's
situated at "true north" on the compass to symbolize the outward impact of educating young citizens committed to creating a just, sustainable world.

We influence children's abilities to care for others beyond themselves by creating meaningful relationships with them, ensuring that they are seen, felt, and understood regardless of how they learn.

When we expose them to different worldviews, engage them with community projects, and bring service learning into the classroom, we develop greater empathy and compassion.

The Compass Advantage views education and child development as integrated processes nurtured through
the collaborative efforts of parents, teachers, and out- of-school programs. When we attend to the development of these eight abilities, the results are
transformative.

Not only do children become lifelong
learners, they become what Maria Montessori envisioned -- self-sufficient navigators of their own
lives.

By: Marilyn Price-Mitchell PhD
Developmental Psychologist,
Researcher, Writer

www.edutopia.org/blog

Teaching an Entirely New Topic

When presented with new material, standards, and
complicated topics, we need to be focused and calm
as we approach our assignments. We can use brain
breaks and focused-attention practices to positively
impact our emotional states and learning.

They refocus our neural circuitry with either stimulating or
quieting practices that generate increased activity in
the prefrontal cortex, where problem solving and
emotional regulation occur.

Brain Breaks

A brain break is a short period of time when we
change up the dull routine of incoming information
that arrives via predictable, tedious, well-worn
roadways.

Our brains are wired for novelty because
we pay attention to any and every stimulus in our
environment that feels threatening or out of the
ordinary. This has always been a wonderful advantage
because our survival as a species depended on this
aspect of brain development.

When we take a brain break, it refreshes our thinking
and helps us discover another solution to a problem
or see a situation through a different lens. Consider
trying these with your class:

1. The Junk Bag

I always carry a bag of household objects containing
markers, scrap paper, and anything that one would
find in a junk drawer -- for example, a can opener or
a pair of shoelaces. Pick any object out of the junk
bag and ask students to come up with two ways this
object could be reinvented for other uses. They can
write or draw their responses. Once students have
drawn or written about an invention, they can walk
the room for one minute sharing and comparing.

2. Squiggle Story

On a blank sheet of paper, whiteboard, or
Promethean Board, draw one squiggly line. Give
students one minute to stand and draw with their
opposite hand, turning the line into a picture or
design of their choice.

3. Opposite Sides

Movement is critical to learning. Have students stand
and blink with the right eye while snapping the fingers
of their left hand. Repeat this with the left eye and
right hand. Students could also face one another and
tap the right foot once, left foot twice, and right foot
three times, building speed they alternate toe tapping
with their partner.

4. Symbolic Alphabet

Sing the alphabet with names of objects rather than
the letters.

5. Other Languages

Teach sign language or make up a spoken language.
In pairs, students take turns speaking or interpreting
this new language for 30 seconds each.

6. Mental Math

Give a set of three instructions, counting the sequence
to a partner for 30 seconds. Example: Count by two
until 20, then count by three until 50, finishing with
seven until 80. Switch and give the other partner
another set of numbers to count.

7. Invisible Pictures

Have a student draw a picture in the air while their
partner guesses what it is. You could give them
categories such as foods, places, or other ways to
narrow the guessing.

8. Story Starters
A student or teacher begins a story for one minute,
either individually or with a partner. The students then
complete or continue it with a silly ending.

9. Rock Scissors Paper Math
With the traditional game, the last call-out is "math."
With that call, students lay out one, two, three, or four
fingers in the palm of their hand. The best of three
wins.

Focused-Attention Practices

A focused-attention practice is a brain exercise for
quieting the thousands of thoughts that distract and
frustrate us each day. When the mind is quiet and
focused, we are able to be present with a specific
sound, sight, or taste.

Research repeatedly shows
that quieting our minds ignites our parasympathetic
nervous system, reducing heart rate and blood
pressure while enhancing our coping strategies to
effectively handle the day-to-day challenges that keep
coming. Our thinking improves and our emotions
begin to regulate so that we can approach an
experience with variable options.

For the following practices, the goal is to start with
60 to 90 seconds and build to five minutes:

1. Breathing
Use the breath as a focus point. Have students place
one hand close to their nose (not touching) and one
hand on their belly. As they breathe in, have them feel
their bellies expand. As they exhale, they can feel the
warm air hit their hand. Students will focus on this
breath for only one minute. Let them know that it's
OK when thoughts sometimes come into the mind
uninvited. Tell them to exhale that thought away.

2. Colors
Visualize colors while focusing on the breath. Inhale a
deep green, and exhale a smoky gray. Have the
students imagine the colors as swirling and alive with
each inhale. If a student is de-escalating from an
angry moment, the color red is a great color to
exhale.

3. Movement
For younger children, direct students to stand and, as
they inhale, lift an arm or leg and wiggle it, exhaling it
back to its original position. For younger grades
beginning these focused-attention practices, it's good
to include an inhale and exhale with any type of
movement.

4. The Deep-Dive Breath
We inhale for four counts, hold for four, and exhale
slowly for four counts. You can increase the holding of
breath by a few seconds once the students find the
rhythm of the exercise.

5. Energizing Breath
We pant like a dog with our mouths open and our
tongues out for 30 seconds, continuing for another 30
seconds with our mouths closed as we take short
belly breaths with one hand on the belly. We typically
take three energizing pant breaths per second. After a
full minute, the students return to four regular deep
inhales and exhales.

6. Sound
The use of sound is very powerful for engaging a calm
response. In the three classrooms where I teach, we
use rain sticks, bells, chimes, and music. There are
many websites that provide music for focus, relaxation
and visualization. Here is one of my favorites .

7. Rise and Fall
As we breathe in and out through our noses, we can
lie on the floor and place an object on our stomachs,
enhancing our focus by watching the rising and falling
of our bellies.

When we are focused and paying attention to our
thoughts, feelings and choices, we have a much
greater opportunity to change those thoughts and
feelings that are not serving us well in life and in
school. When we grasp this awareness, we see and
feel the difference!

How do you stimulate or quiet your students?

Courtesy: http://www.edutopia.org/blog

Friday, October 3, 2014

We actually communicate this... 1

Communication cannot be avoided along as we are on this planet EARTH and we are breathing, we will always communicate with human beings always ..... When conversing with people,agreeing o na matter,exchanging ideas, talking about any topic, discussing, we also pass other messages through our :

BODY LANGUAGES: 

Smiles are mentally driven, it conveys interest and trust. Fake smiles stand out as such and act as a red light and to your smile add direct eye contact, open hands and arms, full-body supports, positive facial expression.

Learn to understand and interpret people’s body language, use your intuition also.

LISTENING :

“The  Lord gave us two ears and one mouth  so that we would listen at last twice as we talk”. Effective listening is hard work, it takes much more energy and concentration to listen it does to talk. Some people tend to listen with their hearts; others tend to depend on their reasoning. These are basic ways people listen:
a) Passive listening

b) Active listening

c) Judgmental listening

d) Nonjudgmental listening.

             Learn to ask the right question at the right time, carefully observe the other party’s body language, and listen till you understand the other party’s position, don’t rush to give a response, be positive and have fun. It helps to build trust.

 

THE SPOKEN WORDS: 

It is commonly used, rated least effective or dependable of all tools – the way they are used and interpreted. People do these:
a) Half listen and draw the wrong conclusions

b) Hear what they want to hear and forget the rest

c) Misinterpret the words

d) Simply ignore the message

e) Remember part of the message; you can never really be sure what conclusions reside in the other party.
It can be a Person-To-Person Direct contact or Indirect Person-To-Person contact - Telephone conversation or the Spoken words to Group or Large Audience.

To get the best out of this tool:
a) Always start with a well thought-out objective

b) Be sure to present your message in understandable terms

c) Pick your setting (place & environment) to deliver important messages

d) Establish common ground – interest areas of the listener

e) Pay attention to intent as well as to spoken words

f) Show that you care and can be trusted

g) Avoid conflicts and confrontations.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

To be or not to be


Since 1973, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been in existence. The new mode of operations of NYSC now to post about 80% of Graduate yearly into the Education Sector as teachers, is something to ponder about as a to-be or Fresh Corp member. Equal National Development is what we intended to achieve according to the goal of NYSC, these goals are only going to be achieved if the corp members themselves are to willingly to help visualize this goal. So far, some Corp members are enjoying their new found career as teachers, good,good enough.we
But in Corperhood we have issues like: Poor Career Development- After spending 12months of NYSC life as a teacher and gained experience skills in another career path, coming back to one's career will not be so easy as there are many things to learn and unlearn, this will help in career development at all as organizations now have to retrain the newly acquired staff to get the best out of them. Safety of Life: Over the years many insurgencies of Boko Haram crisis has killed a good number of our active Corp Members being posted to some parts of the country under attacks of the Boko haram terrorist group. We just wonder why can't the corp members be posted to their region, that is Corper from western Nigeria should be posted to another state within the west, likewise for other corpers from other regions and areas social unrest should be avoided totally. Harsh Cultural practices: Our naive Corpers are not so acclaimed with their new environment as regards its culture and norms, some of us in search of adventures have lost their lives due to some cultural practices that takes place there that boldly allows strangers to be victims of the evils of this culture. Unsafe Environment: Some parts of Nigeria are dominated by scorpions, snakes,ants, etc i our houses that bites us as we diligently serve our nation...... Is this fair enough. Yes, we always adapt to new locations as we are Nigerians. Seriously our living conditions should be improved may be there should be a law to ensure that the accommodation available for Corpers to stay are actually habitable indeed. We should be protected as we serve our nation diligently, after all we could have cut corners yet yea said yes to this clarion call.

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