Plagiarism???

      I am a bit shocked upon reading this comment from a reader of my blog.

      Accusing me of plagiarism is a bit offensive on my part. However I don't take this seriously since I know I am on the right side. I already sent a message from answers.com about copying my post of one of their contributors.

      Though I must admit that I based most of my posts from various references in books and the internet, I as much as possible paraphrase or reword all my readings. If there are times that I have no enough time to do this, I make sure to give due credit to the author or website by posting the link or mentioning the author.

     For those (especially students) who come and read my blog and find some posts useful to their research, review or assignmenst, feel free to use them. My only wish is to give credit on my part or never to use this to be reposted on another website without my permission. Thank You

      

LET Tips: Before the Big Day (REPOST)

A day before the LET, I believe most of you now are a bit nervous. You don't have to worry, you have prepared a lot for this day so just give your best shot. Here are my own tips about the LET that you may or may not follow. These are actually based on my own experience and I really would like to share these with you.

1. Don't ask the proctor if you will see something wrong about the question, items, etc. You can't change the question anymore, because if you want to change it, then the rest of the test items given to other examinees will be changed as well, and this is not possible, you know right? You are much more knowledgeable about the exam you are taking than the proctor. Just ask the proctor if you notice lacking pages, creased answer sheets, discrepancies in i.d. numbers etc.

2. Expect typographical errors. If you think and you're hundred percent sure that an item is the correct answer, but it lacks a letter, or 2 or more "jumbled" letters, then go for that answer. Probably it's just a typographical error.

3. If an item is more complete than the other items, then go for that item. Apply dialecticism. Example, choices will go like this: a. Beautiful b. Pretty c. Beautiful and Pretty. Among the given choices, choose letter c because it contains the answer of a and b, thus more complete.

4. It's okay to have erasures, but avoid this as much as possible. If you really need to erase, make it neat and clean.

5. Shade gently. Don't make your pencil too pointed. After you sharpen your pencil, scribble it first in a separate piece of paper to make the tip not too sharp and pointed. This will make the mark dark enough, but easier to erase.

6. Don't consume your time to a difficult item. Skip if necessary but make sure to go back to that item before giving your answer sheet. Mark the items that you have skipped NOT ON THE ANSWER SHEET BUT ON THE TEST BOOKLET.

7. In choosing your answer, you can use the cancellation technique. Cancel out the items that are too far to be the answer. Rationalize why that item is the correct answer. However, when I answered during the exam, I did this reversely. What I did was to choose first my answer, then rationalize why other items are wrong and mine is the correct answer.

8. If in case you totally have no idea about the answer, your last resort will be this(as advised by one of the LET topnotchers): Close your eyes, say a little prayer, then shade.

9. Don't forget to pray not only before the exam but all throughout the duration of your exam. In your every shade, say a little prayer. Pray that may your mind and hand be guided and enlightened by God. After the exam, don't forget to thank God for surviving the whole examination process.

9. Listen to the proctor's instruction, or read your examinee's manual. Don't rush. Fill out forms slowly but surely.

10. Consume your time. So what if you're the last one left inside the room? When I took the LET, I was the second to the last who went out of the room. Don't rush. Check your answers. Pray before giving your answer sheet.

11. Before answering, shade what SET you will be answering, either Set A or B. Always shade this first. Shade it correctly if you don't want your dreams to shutter. Joke...

11. The last and final tip, ENJOY. I can still remember how I smiled when the proctor gave the test booklets. I was excited to test my self and my preparation for the exam. Take a deep breath. Inhale, inhale, don't exhale. Joke. Exhale.

These are just some of the tips. If you think these won't work for you, don't do all of these. Do it your own way. Always remember, ask God for guidance. Ask someone to light a candle in your home's altar. Put it in a vigil candle. Don't use an ordinary candle(sperma) if you don't want your house to turn into ashes. Hehehe... Seriously, this will represent that your mind may be enlightened in the duration of the exam. So Good Luck! God Bless future teachers!

Teacher Activities

      Hi..I made this post because think that the "About Me" section of my blog is already a bit outdated. Over the past months, lots of activities have happened to my teaching experience. Let me share some to you.

The most recent. This was during the Iloilo City 75th Charter Day Celebration. We teachers danced in the streets of Iloilo City. What do you expect? Teachers should be good dancers right? 

My co-teacher's wedding. 

Reunion with my elementary school classmates.

Mentoring the Mentors with other teachers from other schools.

Application: Gestalt Psychology

      I don't know what to do with the work that I need to accomplish.And I don't know why but there is something telling me to update this blog. And now without further ado, here are the applications of Gestalt theory to the teaching and learning process.

1. Make your lesson holistic. The word Gestalt itself is almost synonymous to the word "whole". And for this, Gestalt psychology proposes education to be an integration of affective and cognitive domains of learning. As teachers, we can actually do this by setting the objectives that does not only focus on the cognitive (and psychomotor) domains of teaching and learning but also on the affective domain as well.

2. In relation to above application, the fulfillment of the cognitive-affective integration is not only limited to instruction rather also related to the experiences of the students inside the classroom. This can be done when teachers maintain an emotionally harmonious and non threatening atmosphere during the teaching and learning process which consequently caters exchange of ideas and learning. Teacher behavior is a critical factor, and if necessary, should be changed in order to maintain good relationship between the teacher and his/her students, and relationship among and between students. This can be realized through teacher development programs, trainings or seminars.

3. Gestalt psychology is a proponent of discovery or insight learning. This takes place when learners forms relationships of the elements around them then integrates and organizes these elements to form insight (Remember Sultan?). Hence, teachers must make use of discovery approach in learning. Teachers can use experiments, laboratory and inquiry-based strategies.

How About the Gestalt Principles?

These are implications of the Gestalt principles in the teaching and learning process. Now you know that Gestalt principles are not just mere principles of visual drawings or illustrations.

1. Law of Proximity
        Related concepts or lessons should be taught aligned or closely to each other. This is the reason why subtraction is taught after addition, multiplication after subtraction then division after multiplication. Imagine teaching addition then jumping directly to polygons.

2. Law of Similarity
        Similar lessons or contents should be grouped together to make learners develop understanding more efficiently and effectively. This is the reason why lessons are grouped into units: Unit I is for human body, Unit II is for energy and motion, so on and so forth.

3. Law of Closure
       When a concept or topic is incomplete thus isn't "closed", incomplete information may make learners want to discover what’s missing, rather than  concentrating on the given instruction. If students find a math algorithm confusing because a certain question is left unanswered or a step isn't clear, they will tend to concentrate on that confused part of the process rather than the total process as a whole. This is why students get "lost". Thus, make the lesson complete. Present it clearly, simply and always be ready for students' clarifications.

4. Law of Good Continuation
        Lessons should be presented in such a way that learners will see these as connected and continuous. Now you know why we have the "Review" part of the lesson plan. This way, students will realize that their new lesson actually has continuity and is related to what they already know or to the previous lesson.

5. Law of Pragnanz
        Pragnanz states that when things are grasped as wholes, the minimal amount of energy is exerted in thinking. In short, make your lesson holistic, complete and most of all simple.

6. Law of Figure/Ground
      For a figure to be perceived, it must stand out from the background. Emphasis should be done on important aspects of the lesson. For example, teachers should vary the tone of their voice or write boldly or underline the important key words of the lesson.

       Furthermore, aside from what I have discussed above, Gestalt principles are also very useful in preparing and presenting instructional materials. I will not discuss these further because I think these are easy enough for you to think of.
       As I always say, these are just some of the applications. Again and again, there are a lot of ways in which you can imply Gestalt psychology in the teaching and learning process. I hope that you yourself could reflect on these.

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.