Tips for teaching Teens

Worgan M. describes some aspects of the teacher- student relationship that have worked for her and hergroups.

1. The First Day: The first few days are crucial to the way the course will run. This is the time when the students will make unconscious decisions about what kind of teacher you are and it is essential to let them know that, while you may be relaxed and friendly, you will not accept any nonsense.

Make sure they are conscious of the amount of work they will be doing both
in and out of class if they want to reach their objectives (pass a course or an exam, learn English, etc.) Most teenagers expect to have to put in a bit of effort, and this usually motivates them. It is really important that they feel motivated.

2. Being strict: Research has shown that firm but fair teachers are preferred by this age group. Many times teachers are tempted to treat a group of sixteen year olds as adults, but the fact is that  emotionally they are not. If you talk to them as if they were your friends or peers, they will often use this as an excuse not to study or do as you ask.

At the end of the day, most teenagers
don’t have the maturity to choose learning over fun and games and it will be much more difficult to get them to
put in the required effort. However, this doesn’t mean that teachers have to be strict all the time!

Students should be rewarded when they work hard and rewards, such as games and other fun activities, can be a great
incentive to get the task done. Transmit the idea that you are in control of the class, this is something teenagers consider as a qualification of a good.teacher.

3. Short-Term goals: For the teacher, the school year may fly by, but for the average fifteen-year-old, though, a year can be a very long time. Set them regular,
achievable goals in order to keep motivation as high as possible, and discuss and negotiate these goals with your students keeping them involved.

4. Motivation: Worgan M. mentions that one of the questions teachers of teenagers constantly ask is “How can I motivate them? They aren’t interested in
anything!” They usually don’t like the books and the topics in them. If you ask teenagers what topics they would like to cover in class they, usually, don’t know or
will come up with just a few.

Even if you bring in materials about their interests they will most probably show very little enthusiasm. The problem is not the actual topic of the lesson, but the type of activities involved.

I have used the following activities with
teenagers and they have worked well. Imagine you have a text about someone who found a bottle on the seashore. In the bottle was a message which was written many years ago.

Instead of just asking your students to read, tell them the story from the writer’s point of view from the beginning, but stopping before the end.

Now ask what happened next, encouraging all kinds of funny answers and, then, get them reading! The gist of it is to find fun ways to exploit the materials they already have in their course books.

5. Humour: A good laugh now and again can motivate teenagers to want to come to class. Make up stories or ask them to help you solve a problem or to introduce a grammar point that they actually know. My favorite problem-solving activity used to be a story which was partially true.

I would tell my students that I had
received a horrible birthday present (an orange blouse for example) from my husband and I didn’t know what to do with it, without hurting his feelings. The students would come up with all sorts of solutions, have fun and, actually, practice their English.

This will give you and the students an opportunity to relax. They will be much happier about working when they notice the teacher is prepared to tell a story or
joke. As a follow-up activity you can ask them to share similar problems they have or have had and their peers should suggest solutions.

Teenagers will be eager to
participate (as long as it is done in English) and our teaching objective will have been reached (2 nd Conditional: if I were you, I would…).

Effective Teaching Methods for Teenagers
Louanne Piccolo states in her article Teaching Teenagers: How to Motivate and Interest

Them, that t eenagers look for meaning and significance in relation to their own lives in what they are taught. An intelligent teacher will use this knowledge to personalize their lessons and relate this to what is going on in the lives of the students at the moment.

Teenagers want to know about now, and not about what happened a hundred years ago! Keeping up- to-date with technology and the topics that may interest teenagers may take a lot of effort on behalf of the teacher, but it is of utmost importance to getting and holding their attention.

Most teenagers like to talk about themselves, what they think, what they don't like and are quite emotional; so, teachers must be creative and organize activities like sharing journal entries or writing articles for a magazine students have created themselves.

This allows students to express themselves freely and talk about a topic they are interested in: their own ideas. Piccolo further explains that, prior to learning, teenagers need to know why they are doing something, how it can help them and how it relates to their lives.

Although everyone prefers interesting classes, this is not always possible. Teenagers are aware of this and even though they are, generally, in favor of fun they know that good learning takes an effort.

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Six Resources a Teacher Should Use When Teaching Teenagers

Piccolo suggests six resources which help put teaching methods into use, through appropriate and adapted
activities.

Here are some particularly useful resources when teaching teenagers:
Not quite-yet-adults and not-still children is a difficult thing to be. The average teenager is an inquisitive contrast of innocence and worldliness and has a thirst for knowledge that is endless, in spite of the fact that
their interests, emotions and frustrations vary enormously.

A teacher who understands the characteristics of a teenage learner, effective teaching methods and the resources to put those methods into
practice, is a teacher who will motivate and challenge a teenage class to learn with interest.

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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

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

22nd of September or 13th of October ?

I must commend that since the advent of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) came into Nigeria, its impact on our everyday life, all sectors of work cannot be overemphasized, even the Education System has been seriously affected as the Federal Government extended the expected school resumption date of 15th of September 2014, to 13th October 2014. Few days ago, after serious frequent meetings and sittings between the Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Ministry of Health, Association of Proprietors and School owners, amongst others the Government has agreed for schools to resume on Monday 22nd of September,2014.

Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau said: Al primary and secondary schools, both public and private should be provided with a minimum of 2 Blood Pressure measuring equipments by the state Ministry of Education.

Regular washing of hands is part of the preventive measures and there must be steady supply of water in the school. In compliance to this the State Ministry of Education instructs Lagos state Government to direct the Lagos State Water Corporation to supply pipeline water readily to no fewer than 600 public schools before the September 22 resumption.

Every State Ministry of Education is expected to have trained at least 2 officials from every school on how to handle any suspected case of Ebola and also on immediate sensitization of all teaching and non-teaching staff on preventive measures.

Mixed feelings increased amongst teachers, parents, and the general public as the earlier extension of the resumption date has its benefits : Uniform Resumption date for all school all over the Federation. It is a proactive protection of our children against Ebola disease Adequate time is available to santize the School environment To train the school staff on the preventive measures against Ebola Virus To properly provide the necessary preventive tools to the school environment. Nevertheless, its negative effects is that: The 2014/2015 academic calendar will be disorganized Adverse effect on Students preparing for external examinations like WAEC, NECO,GCSE, etc.

As Schools will resume on 22nd September 2014, schools should ensure regular sanitization of the school facilities and environment, more diagnostic centers should be set up, acquire more infrared thermometers to check every child, staff, parents that are coming into the school. Parents are now thinking: Is this really the right thing to do by saying we can now resume on Monday 22nd of September, 2014. We pray that non our kids will be victims of Ebola as they resume back to school, though we are tried of them disturbing us all day! (Smiles) Photos/ sources: www.wash-hands.com www.cdc.gov www.wikihow.com www.usaid.com