STAR Strategy

STAR is an example of an empirically validated (Maccini & Hughes, 2000; Maccini & Ruhl, 2000) first-letter mnemonic that can help students recall the sequential steps from familiar words used to help solve word problems involving integer numbers.

The steps for STAR include:

Search the word problem;

Translate the problem;

Answer the problem; and

Review the solution

Below is an example of a structured worksheet using STAR strategy in solving word problem:

Objective: Solve 2- to 3- step word problems involving whole numbers (BEC PELC II. A.1.2)

Problem: Mr. Cruz had P4,500. He spent P2,500 for food; P750 for transportation; and P275 for other expenses and divided the rest among his 5 brothers. How much was the share of each?

Strategy Questions:

S-earch the word problem

a.    Read the problem carefully

b.    Ask yourself questions: "What do I know? What do I need to find?"

c.    Write down the facts:

·         Mr. Cruz had P4,500.

·         He spent P2,500 for food

·         P750 for transportation

·         P275 for other expenses

·         He divided the rest among his 5 brothers

I need to find share of each brother.

T-ranslate the words into an equation in picture form.

P2,500-food

P750-transportation

P275- other expenses

n=divided among 5 brothers

A-nswer the problem

If I add all Mr. Cruz’s expenses and subtract the sum from his original money, I can get the amount that was shared by his five brothers and divide this by 5.

Mr. Cruz’s expenses: P2,500 + P750 + P275 = P3,525

P4,500 - P3,525=P975

P975 ÷ 5 = P195

Each brother receives P195.

R-eview the Solution

a.    Reread the problem

b.    Ask yourself questions: "Does the answer make sense? Why?"

c.    Check the answer

I checked my answer.

When I multiplied P195 by 5 and added the product to the total of Mr. Cruz’s expenses, I got P4500 which is Mr. Cruz’s total amount.

P.S. I also made posters about STAR Strategy that teachers could post in their walls. I hope you would find these useful.

Brigada Eskwela: My Anime-Inspired Classroom

    It was a week after Brigada Eswkela 2015 that I decided to have a rigidon of my classroom. I didn't initially planned it since I am quite lazy due to the extreme heat of the summer, not to mention that the electrical line in my room is broken (I can't use the electric fan).
    As a teacher, I always believe that the physical structuring of the classroom greatly affects the learning of our students. A disorganized, untidy and congested classroom makes not a conducive learning environment. At the same time, as teachers, our classroom is our office. As much as possible, we want our workplace to be comfortable and quite homey for us. This makes our work efficient and less stressful amidst the tons of works we do everyday.
    Recently, the Department of Education released guidelines for classrooms. I don't know if there was a memo or something but I always hear these "guidelines" from the principals and other teachers. According to them, rooms should be painted with candle-light cream or light raw sienna. Other colors are not advisable. Second, bulletin boards and posters inside the classroom should be minimized if not removed. They wanted to make the room with less of these to avoid "distractions". Third, chairs should all face the chalkboard, so the use of other arrangements, like forming a U, chairs facing each other etc are not advisable. And wait, curtains are also not allowed.
    For me, these guidelines limit teachers to be creative with their classrooms. I know that there are colors which are not good for classroom uses but I think teachers should be given the freedom to design his or her classroom. I also am not a fan of rooms without anything on the walls. The bulletin boards reflect both the teacher and students' efforts to make the room lively and fun. That learning is "not boring". Frankly, the only place that I remember where pictures or anything on the walls are not allowed is the psychiatric ward, and our students are not pyschos right? I quite agree with the arrangement of chairs that it should be facing the chalkboard. I find the U-shaped arrangement where students face each other distracting. Students would have the chance to talk or do facial signals, thus would not listen to the teacher. However, sitting/chair arrangement should be flexible with respect to the objective or the activity of the day's lesson. About the curtains, I love having them in the classroom. It enhances the physical appearance of the classroom and at the same time regulates the amount of light in the classroom.
    Here are some snapshots in my classroom. As you can see, I am an otaku so you can see elements of anime 360 degrees...hehe...Obviously, you see some violations about the above-stated guidelines..and I don't care...hehehe

Hello Natsu!!!

Hi Alice!!!

Banghay-Aralin sa Filipino 7

         This will be my first time to post a lesson plan (banghay-aralin) in Filipino for Grade 7. Credit for my sister who made the draft and revised by yours truly. Hope you find this useful.

Banghay Aralin sa Filipino 7

I.                    Layunin:

1. Natutukoy ang mga tauhan sa kuwento.
2. Nakasusulat ng mga karanasan sa pagbibinata/pagdadalaga
3. Napapahalagahan ang responsibilidad bilang isang tinedyer.

II.                  Paksang Aralin:

Maikling Kuwento; “ Bagong Taon na Binatilyo na Ako”,

Batayang Aklat sa Filipino I dd. 92-94

Kagamitang Panturo: DVD player, flashcard, character map

Value Focus: Pagpapahalaga sa responsibilidad bilang tinedyer.

III.                Pamamaraan:

A.      Pangganyak:

Magpakita ng ng maikling video clip tungkol sa pagbibinata/pagdadalaga.

Pagkatapos, itanong ang mga sumusunod:

1.      Nakakaugnay ba kayo sa inyong napanood?

2.      Anong naalala ninyo habang pinapanood ang video?

3.      Anong mga pagbabago ang inyong naranasan ng sumapit kayo sa edad na 13?

A.1 Pag-alis ng Sagabal

Talasalitaan:

Ibigay ang kasingkahulugan ng mga salita at gamitin sa pangungusap.

1.      Humudyat         4. Musmos                 7. Sapitin

2.      Inaasam             5. Nakatutulig

3.      Binatilyo            6. Aatupagin

B.      Pagbasa ng Tahimik

Bigyan ang mga mag-aaral ng dalawang minuto para basahin ang teksto.

C.      Talakayan:

Pagkatapos ang pagbasa ng kuwento, itanong sa mga mag-aaral ang mga sumusunod:

1.      Ano ang pamagat ng kuwentong ating binasa?

2.      Sinu-sino ang mga tauhan?

3.      Sino si Sammy? Ilarawan

4.      Naransan din ba ninyo ang naranasan ni Sammy?

5.      Maituturing ba ninyong si Sammy ay isang tepikal/normal na tinedyer? Bakit?

6.      Kung kayo ang mga magulang ni Sammy, ano ang maipapayo ninyo sa kanya?

7.      Anong impresyong naiwan sa inyo pagkatapos ninyong basahin ang teksto?

8.      Kung bibigyan kayo ng pagkakataong magbigay ng wakas, ano ang nais ninyong maging wakas nito?

D.     Pagsasanay:

Pangkatin ang klase sa dalawa at ipakita sa pamamagitan ng isang dula-dulaan kung ano ang nararanasan ng isang tinedyer.

E.      Paglalapat/ Aplikasyon:

Paggawa ng Character Map

                        Base sa ginawang character map ano ang masasabi tungkol kay Sammy?

                  F.Paglalahat;

                        Natural lang ba sa isang tinedyar ang mga ganitong kaganapan na nangyayari sa kanyang buhay? Bakit?

                        Bilang isang tinedyer, paano ka magiging responsable sa iyong sarili, pamilya at komunidad?

                  IV.             Ebalawasyon:

                   A. Isulat ang salitang TAMA kung ang mga sumusunod na pahayag ay naganap sa kuwento at MALI kung hindi.

                   1.            Natapat sa bagong taon ang kaarawan ni Sammy.

                   2.            Si Sammy ay magdiriwang ng kanyang ika-16 na kaarawan.

                   3.            Si Jenny ang dahilan ng mga pagbabago ni Sammy.

                   4.            Kinasasabikan ni Sammy ang paghudyat ng orasan sa ika-12.

                   5.            Sinang-ayunan ni ate Beth at tatay ni Sammy ang lahat ng kanyang mga plano kung siya ay 13 na.

                 B.            Magtala ng 5 karanasan ng pagbibinata/pagdadalaga.

                V.            Takdang-Aralin:

                 Mag-ulat ng isang karanasang nagaganap sa kasalukuyan. Pag-usapan sa klase kung ang ulat ay batay sa kaisipan ng isang tinedyer.

Math Posters

    As a Math teacher, I personally believe that the best motivation in teaching math is no other than competence. According to Bandura, people are motivated to do something if they know they can actually do it. And as a teacher, I always first and foremost motivate my students to learn math by telling them they CAN actually do math. That math is never a difficult subject rather an exciting and a fun one.
    For instance, when I teach a topic for the first time, I usually give the easiest examples. Not that I want to water down my content or the difficulty but rather, again, my priority is to make my students feel competent. If students will feel they find difficulty even just in the examples, they will be less motivated to pursue the rest of the discussion. As we go along with the discussion, I gradually make the examples a bit challenging until such time that I provide them examples that they can do independently. .
    Personally, this what motivated me as well to love math. When I was a student, I was not the best in our math class. But then, I feel less motivated to like or learn the subject because at the end, no matter how hard I try, I still can"t do it. But when I am in college, with the help of some good teachers, I started to like math because little by little I felt a sense of confidence that I can solve math problems. It made me realize that I shouldn't be afraid of math as long as I just practice and learn to love the subject. This is the reason why I always tell my students, "Learn to love math, and Math will love you more". In short, the more you love math, the more it is easier for you to learn and master the subject.
    As promised, I would like to share my self-made math posters. Try to post these inside your classroom especially in a part where students can see these immediately. I personally posted these in front of my class, above my chalkboard. These might be distracting according to some teachers, but for me, these are just reminders that whenever students find math difficult and at the brink of giving up, they will think that they CAN do math.

If Mr. Bean can do Math, why can't I?

I can knock out Math problems. I may have lost sometimes, but never will I give up.

Strategies in Teaching Mathematics

   

This is one of the math posters I have inside my classroom. Perhaps later I could post the rest of the posters I personally made which are actually intended to motivate and boost my students' confidence in math.

      For the information of everybody (if there is everybody..hehe), I have been a Math teacher ever since I became a permanent teacher in my school. I really love teaching the subject because not only that it is challenging but I find it cool teaching a subject that even some experienced teachers would refuse to teach. Most of all, what I love about teaching math is that it is humbling. Humbling in a sense that most teachers sometimes feel that since they have been teaching a subject for almost forever, they tend to feel that they are the masters of their own subject. However in math, I find it very humbling because I love learning and solving math problems because it gives you a sense of competence and fulfillment if you solve a certain problem. But, no matter how "good" you are in math, there will always and will always be a certain problem that you will find difficult solving. This makes me humble that never will I be complacent about my ability. That to improve myself as a teacher, I also need not cease learning.
     I also reflected that math teachers aren't necessarily mathematicians. What makes a mathematician differ from a math teacher is that mathematicians can solve problems for themselves, but math teachers help others solve math problems. I know that mathematicians are super smart that they can actually solve problems themselves and for their own benefit. However, math teachers are those people who know math but has to relay this knowledge in way that others can comprehend so that others too can solve problems themselves.
    This is a lengthy introduction to my post about strategies in teaching math. I actually have shared these with my fellow teachers when I was assigned to be a resource speaker in my district. I hope you find these useful.

Concept Attainment Strategy

This strategy allows pupils to discover the essential attributes of a concept. It can enhance students’ skills in separating important from unimportant information; searching for patterns and making generalizations; and defining and explaining concepts.

Concept Formation Strategy

This strategy is used when you want the students to make connections between and among essential elements of the concept.

Graphic Organizers

These are pictorial ways of constructing knowledge and organizing information. They help the pupils convert and compress a lot of seemingly disjointed information into a structured, simple-to-read graphic display.

STAR Strategy

STAR is an example of an empirically validated (Maccini & Hughes, 2000; Maccini & Ruhl, 2000) first-letter mnemonic that can help students recall the sequential steps from familiar words used to help solve word problems involving integer numbers.

The steps for STAR include:

Search the word problem;

Translate the problem;

Answer the problem; and

Review the solution

Mnemonic Device

This is any learning technique that aids information retention. Mnemonics aim to translate information into a form that the human brain can retain better and even the process of applying this conversion might already aid the transfer of information to long-term memory.

E.g. A corner is 90-degree angle and a Corner is Complementary. A straight angle is 180 degrees and Supplementary angles are Straight angles.

Physical Response Task

Pupils answer/give correct response physically or through the use of body movements. This can also be used to explain geometrical figures and memorizing formulas.

Found Figures/Shape Hunt

Pupils identify different figures found in the environment. If possible, pupils themselves shot pictures of these figures found in their surroundings.

MATH BINGO

Pupils play BINGO using math concepts printed/written on the cards.

Picture Puzzles

Pupils form pictures by answering series of math problems/questions.

ANAGRAMS

Pupils form trivial words by answering series of math problems/questions.

Songs/Jingles

These help not only in understanding and remembering math concepts but make learning more fun.

Simulation

Pupils act or do a simulated scenario just as in the real world. This promotes real-life application of math concepts and skills.

Actually these are just some of the limitless ways in teaching math. I didn't even include block model approach here. But nevertheless, I hope you can find these applicable in your own classroom setting.

Advance Organizers part 2

     This is the second part of the list of possible Advance Organizers again retrieved from National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials. Hope these will help teachers and students alike.

  

    Uses: Effective for organizing events in terms of a chain of action and reaction (especially useful in social sciences and humanities)

    Uses: When cause-effect relationships are complex and non-redundant

    Uses: Help students to compare and contrast two concepts according to their features.

      Uses: Compare concepts' attributes

    Uses: Effective for organizing information along a dimension such as less to more, low to high, and few to many

    Uses: Help students organize information according to various steps or stage

    Uses: Useful for organizing information that is circular or cyclical, with no absolute beginning or ending

   I hope this is enough for all of you. Again, special thanks for  National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials. You can visit this site to learn more about advance organizers.

Advance Organizers part 1

    This post will list all possible advance organizers that teachers can use in presenting their lessons.  Remember that these organizers don't work by themselves, rather it is still crucial for the teacher to explain what these organizers present to make learning more efficient.

      Uses: mapping generic information, mapping hierarchical relationships. 

     Uses: organizing a hierarchical set of information, reflecting superordinate or subordinate elements

 

 
     Uses: When the information relating to a main idea or theme does not fit into a hierarchy

     Uses: When information contains cause and effect problems and solutions

     Uses: helps students to compare different solutions to a problem

      Uses: useful for mapping cause and effect

These are retrieved from  National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials. (If you are the owner of this site and if you want your contents to be removed from this blog, kindly inform me immediately. Thank you.)

What are Good Teachers

     What defines a good teacher? Actually, the defintions are endless. Here are just some of the qualities of a good teacher retrieved from http://www.adprima.com/tipson.htm (If you are the owner of this site, kindly inform me if you don't want your site's content be posted here)

Good teachers:

• are good at explaining things. Do you like to explain how something works, or how something happened? Being comfortable with explaining content to students is an essential skill for teachers, regardless of the subject or grade level.

• keep their cool. There will be times when you will be tempted to scream or yell at your students, other teachers, parents, administrators, and so on. Good teachers are able to successfully resist this urge

• have a sense of humor. Research has consistently shown that good teachers have a sense of humor, and that they are able to use humor as part of their teaching methods. Humor, used properly, can be a powerful addition to any lesson.

• like people, especially students in the age range in which they intend to teach. Most teachers choose an area of specialization such as elementary education, special education, secondary education, or higher education because they have a temperament for students in those age ranges. If you are not comfortable working with young children, don't major in elementary education!
• are inherently fair-minded. They are able to assess students on the basis of performance, not on the students' personal qualities.

• have "common sense." It may sound a bit corny, but good teachers are practical. They can size up a situation quickly and make an appropriate decision. Whether managing a classroom, leading students on a field trip, seamlessly shifting from one instructional procedure to another, assigning detentions, supervising an intern, or dealing with policy and curriculum issues in the school, there is no substitute for common sense.
• have a command of the content they teach. For elementary school teachers, that means having knowledge of a broad range of content in sufficient depth to convey the information in meaningful ways to the students. For secondary school teachers, it usually means having an in-depth command of one or two specific content areas such as mathematics or biology.

• set high expectations for their students and hold the students to those expectations. If you are thinking about becoming a teacher, you should set high expectations for yourself, and demand excellence not only of yourself, but your students as well.

• are detail oriented. If you are a disorganized person in your private life, you will find that teaching will probably be uncomfortable for you. At the very least, teachers must be organized in their professional and teaching duties. If you're not organized and are not detail oriented, teaching may not be the best choice of a profession for you.
• are good managers of time. Time is one of the most precious resources a teacher has. Good teachers have learned to use this resource wisely.
• can lead or follow, as the situation demands. Sometimes, teachers must be members of committees, groups, councils, and task forces. Having the temperament to function in these capacities is extremely important. At other times, teachers assume leadership roles. Be sure you are comfortable being a leader or a follower, because sooner or later, you will be called on to function in those roles.
• don't take things for granted. This applies to everything, from selecting a college or school of education to filing papers for certification. Good follow-through habits should be cultivated throughout life, but they are never more important than during your teacher education program. Read the catalog, know the rules, be aware of prerequisites and meet deadlines. In one sense, you don't learn to teach by getting a degree and becoming certified. You learn to teach in much the same way you learned to drive -- by driving. You learn to teach by teaching, by making mistakes, learning from them and improving. The purpose of a teacher education program is to get you as ready as possible to learn how to teach by subjecting you to a variety of methods and experiences that have a basis in tradition and research.
• have some "hard bark" on them. Take it from me as a teacher in both public schools and at the university level, that you need some hard bark in order to survive let alone thrive. to illustrate the point, here is an excerpt from an ADPRIMA page that discusses the subject in more detail:

        John Russell, the name of the character played by Paul Newman in the 1967 movie "Hombre," was told, in the latter part of the film by a man he had just shot in order to protect a group of innocent, yet cowardly people, "Mister, you've got some hard bark on you." Indeed he did, because he was both physically tough and tough minded. He was also realistic, honest, fair, and understood that sometimes doing the right thing involves risk. There is a lesson in all of this for education students.

        Without a doubt, young men and women entering the teaching profession today need to have some "hard bark" on them. If they don't, the small wounds inflicted by dealing with the everyday problems of teaching, disciplining, planning, counseling, dealing with administrators, colleagues, parents, and so on, mount up. If they're easily wounded by disappointment, rudeness, and even unfairness, they won't last because these things happen, and nothing will change that.

        All of these qualities define some of the characteristics of good teachers. If it is not your goal to become a good teacher at the very least, perhaps thinking about the above will help you see other career alternatives. A good idea, when first making such a decision, is to talk to teachers. Find out what they do, and what led them into teaching. Do a personal inventory of your own values, personality, preferences and goals. But, whatever you do, don't go into teaching simply because you love kids!

Principles of Teaching: Discipline in the Classroom

   

    Discipline is one of the most important if not the most important factor for a successful classroom management. This is also the most difficult to deal with. Nowadays, discipline has changed a lot. Before, discipline is maintained through traditional method or by "iron hand". As a traditional maxim goes, "spare the rod, and spoil the child". However, discipline has become more child-centered and democratic. It has to be taken into account the psychological, physical, social and legal impact a disciplinary action can have on the child.
    As a teacher, I know I still have a lot to learn with regards to maintaining discipline. I have to admit but not all my ways in dealing with discipline problems may not be "right" for others. This is where experience can help a lot. Some methods or ways may not be effective for some students while some work. Results actually vary. But bottomline, no matter what ways we may use, we need to remember the child first. That we must keep in mind that on our way of making our students disciplined is the power of actually breaking or making them.
   Anyway, here are some of the ways in dealing with discipline problems inside the classroom. These are just the first part so please watch for my proceeding posts.

1. Teach them first. Almost always, students exhibit inappropriate behavior because they actually don’t know that what they are doing is wrong. This highlights the importance of orienting the students about do’s and don’ts inside or outside the classroom especially at the beginning of the school year. This way, students will get acquainted on the things they need and avoid to do. They will realize what we expect of them and thus minimizes the likelihood of an inappropriate behavior to occur. 

2. Emphasize positive alternatives. When a student exhibited an inappropriate behavior, focus on the equivalent positive behavior that he/she can do instead of focusing on his negative behavior. For example, a group of boys play with brooms in their “swordplay”. We can intervene by explaining that somebody might get hurt, and that brooms are used for cleaning.  Instead of making the brooms as weapon to fight each other, we can suggest using the brooms for the boys to compete who sweeps or cleans the most dirt in the classroom .

3. Teach empathy. Students have the tendency to be egocentric, most especially the younger ones. This means that they still have to understand empathy, or to be on “someone else’s shoes”. Applying this to discipline, we can make students realize the consequences of an inappropriate behavior to other people. We can let students analyze, “What if we are in the other person’s situation?” or “How will you feel if…”. Through this, we can encourage students to think the cause and effect of their behavior. We teach them the possible impact of a certain behavior to other people, to their surroundings and to different situations. Take note however that we should do this in a sincere and nonjudgmental manner.

4. Lend a hand. Behavior problems caused by lack of self-control like frustration can be resolved by offering the students our help. This could be in a form of a suggestion, a question or even just a simple gesture.  This way, students learn the value of interdependence, that is, certain problems can be solved through a helping hand. For example, if a student got frustrated by a math problem and threw away his notebook, we can address this by giving him encouragement and a motivation to start over. We can even help him solve the first part of the problem then let him finish the task himself.

5. Use I-message. This I-message is an intimate form of communicating your feelings as a teacher about a certain behavior of students. This increases the awareness of the child about the impact of his/her behavior toward others which include you as a teacher. For example, if students are not listening or giving attention to what you are talking, a teacher can address this by saying, “When you are not listening, I feel disrespected. I feel that there is no need for me to teach you anymore. I feel I need to repeat what I have said which takes away our limited time.” However, some of us might find this uncomfortable. Just take note that when saying I-message, it has to be sincere but firm at the same time.

6. Values are caught than taught. Perhaps this is one of the best if not the best way for teachers to reinforce good behavior among students. As teachers, or even just adults, we serve as role models to our students. Some students even look up to us as their idols while some find us more influential than their own parents. For instance, we can never make students the value of cleanliness if we ourselves look untidy and unclean. Or we can never ask students to speak softly while inside the classroom if  we yell to our students on a daily basis.