Teachable Moments: Fall

 

Teachable Moments: Fall

Make every moment count. Children’s minds are like sponges, they readily absorb information. Utilize every possible opportunity to educate them. Even something as simple as the changing of the seasons can be a teachable moment. Fall is one of the most beautiful seasons of the year. Nature is bursting with vivid reds, oranges, golds, and browns. It also offers a whole canvas of learning activities.

Photosynthesis

During the fall, the leaves on the trees begin to change colors. And, your children are probably curious about this event. Now is a great time to nurture their love of science. Take them on a nature walk or a drive down the highway to look at the beautiful leaves. Explain the process of photosynthesis. Explain that plants turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar. They use chlorophyll, the substance that gives plants their lush green color, to do this. However, as the temperature drops and the sunlight levels decrease, the trees no longer go through photosynthesis. The amount of chlorophyll decreases in the leaves and causes the change in colors.

Fall Plants

There are a lot of different flowers and plants that grow in the fall. You can point out some of the different plants to your children. Fall vegetables include beets, cauliflower, carrots, celery, lettuce, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, mustard greens, collard greens, onions, and peas. Plant some of these vegetables with your children. Not only will you have fun, but you will also be teaching your children responsibility and self-reliance. And, let’s not forget about the beautiful flowers that grow this time of year.  These include Golden Rod, Lemon Queen Sunflowers, and Chrysanthemums.

Fall Art

Autumn is synonymous with beautiful landscapes. Encourage your children to capture this beauty on canvas. How can drawing and painting be educational? Simple. Art has several benefits. It is mentally stimulating. By allowing your children to draw or paint, you are encouraging them to pay attention to details, and it can also help your children develop hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, creativity, and coping skills.

Poems and Songs

Autumn also provides a great opportunity for your children to improve their writing skills. Encourage your children to react to the changing seasons through poetry or music. These poems and songs can even be turned into a book of poetry or a book of songs.

Writing

Hone those writing skills this fall. The brilliant colors and the changing landscapes offer your children a wide variety of topics on which to write. They can write letters to Mother Earth and ask her questions. They can also write descriptive paragraphs or essays.

Greek Mythology

Fall is a great time to study Greek Mythology. As the seasons change, you can introduce children to the tale of Hades, the god of the underworld, and Persephone. This myth about the abduction Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, was the Greeks way of explaining the changing of the seasons.

Teachable moments happen all the time. Take advantage of them this autumn. Do some of the fun activities above.

How to Get Your Teaching Staff to Work Together

 

Working in teams is almost unavoidable in any work setting, and teaching is no different. But, how do you get a diverse group of teachers to work together toward a common goal? The following are some great strategies that you can use to get your teaching staff focused and to keep them motivated.

Identify goals

The first thing that you will need to do is to get the entire staff together. During this meeting, both long and short term goals should be discussed. As a team, develop a plan of action for accomplishing those goals. Once you have identified the goals for the staff and developed a plan of action, you should have regular staff meetings in order to assess progress and to encourage the staff to stay focused on those goals. You can also invite guest speakers to come periodically to help keep your teaching staff motivated.

Clearly define expectations

As a principal, superintendent, Lead Teacher, or other person of authority, it is up to you to provide the staff with clearly defined expectations. Each teacher should know what they are expected to do, what the expected outcome is, and how that outcome works toward the overall goal.

Build teams

Once you have discussed the school or district’s main goal with the staff and clearly defined your expectations for them, you can then decide if you want your staff to work as one large group or if you want to divide them up into smaller teams. Working as one large group can be almost impossible in a large size school. So, in this instance, a smaller group would work more effectively than a larger one.

Now, you must decide how to group your staff. You can place them in groups according to their subject areas or you can opt to mix the different subject areas.

Leadership roles

Once the staff is divided into groups, you should delegate leadership positions. The teams should have one person who is in charge of keeping the team on track. This should be a person who is a decision-maker and a visionary. They should also have good interpersonal and communication skills.

Active participants

In order to successfully accomplish your goals, each member of the teaching staff must be active participants in the group. With the stresses of dealing with students, parents, and trying to meet state and federal standards, it can be easy for staff members to attempt to avoid the added responsibility. This is a mistake. All of the teaching staff needs to be fully committed to working toward the school’s mission. They should not be passively watching their co-workers do all the work. So, how do you get these teachers motivated?

 One way to keep teachers actively involved in the team is to rotate leadership positions. Each team member should have to take a leadership position at some point during the project. Another way to get disengaged staff members involved is to assign them projects that interest them and fall within their area of expertise. Ask them to share their ideas and opinions. People tend to work harder when they feel their work and their opinions matter.

Value diversity

Don’t try to beat your teaching staff into one mole. Celebrate each of the member’s diversity. This diverse group can bring a variety of different points of view to the table. They can also offer their expertise in different areas.

Getting a diverse group of teachers focus on a common goal may seem difficult. However, it can be done effectively by identifying goals, defining expectations, embracing diversity, and getting everyone actively involved.

http://video.about.com/management/How-to-Build-a-Teamwork-Culture.htm
http://humanresources.about.com/od/involvementteams/a/twelve_tip_team.htm