Self Improvement Tips

Research and inspections show that the key to unlocking the full potential of pupils in our schools lies in the expertise of the teachers and head teachers, it’s therefore vital that subject leaders (SLs) are effective as possible in their role.

The National Standards produced in the 1990’s outlined expectations and aims in this role and in the 21st century this summary remains a very useful reference point. It states that the aim of SLs is to “provide professional leadership and management for a subject, to secure high quality teaching, effective use of resources and improved standards of learning and achievement for all pupils”.

Recently, head teacher of a well respected UK school shared these tips which have improved the schooling and performance of the pupils at their establishment:

Share knowledge of your subject with key stakeholders

The SL for PE at his school writes a newsletter each term for parents and governors to keep them informed about the latest developments in PE. The newsletter ensures the subject remains fairly high profile and provides an opportunity to also share success stories, achievements and ideas of staff and pupils in the area; makes everyone feel more engaged.

Purchase the best resources for the job

Purchasing the right teaching resources from a trusted supplier will add value to teaching and learning in any subject and whilst budgets may be limited it’s good to know that with the completion of a simple application form you can apply for grants, bursaries and donations that many trusts still provide for specific subjects; teaching resources and aids used need to be up-to-date and as stimulating as possible for pupils.

Share planning resources internally and externally

The SLs at this particular school created planning and resource sheets which they make available to teachers at their school and also to those of other schools. They do not charge for this service, the aim is simply to help and support other SLs structure and develop their teaching. They record the details of the external users and as such have created a network of expertise and a forum for sharing.

Exhibit your achievements

Keep an ongoing portfolio of your work as evidence; include pieces of outstanding work with photographs of the children in action plus positive feedback from both pupils and parents. This gives you an opportunity to show off your achievements and impress visitors, governors and inspectors.

Communicate with the head and other SLs

Head teachers are more than happy for SLs to approach them individually or in groups to discuss their ideas for future development or initiatives as well as sharing their findings from any monitoring or analysis you have done. Don’t be afraid during these times to pick their brains too. Working together and sharing means that everyone is on ‘the same page’ and ultimately the school benefits.

Performing any level of leadership role in school is tricky, and as an SL over time you will take on many roles from expert teacher, support and analyst to counsellor, demonstrator and adviser. You will be a motivator, a partner, a leader, an observer, a listener and a guide. It is not an easy role but one when you can visibly see the positive impact you have had on pupils, and staff; you feel it’s all been worthwhile.

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John Baines is primary school teacher turned head-master who understnads the difference that teaching methods and reources can make to a child’s learning. He reccommends Hope Education for the best teaching resources.

How many times have you sat in a meeting and been astounded at how well a colleague remembers the finer details of a tender or some other contract you’re working on? The chances are the answer to that question is a few.

The trouble these days is that we live in a technological era that requires us to remember so many things it can leave you reaching for the headache pills. We have internet, email and intranet, not to mention the amount of articles, press releases and other documents that pass our way in the space of 24 hours.

It’s a known fact that everything you learn in a 24 hour period can take the same amount of time to completely disappear from your memory banks. This is why if you want to be ahead of the game in business, you HAVE to “learn to learn”and that means improving your memory skills.

How Lifestyle Will Help

Of course, if you abstain from certain recreational habits like drinking alcohol and smoking your brain will be in much better shape. But, there are other things you can do that will help your brain become way more efficient.

Your diet for instance will help. If you eat well, it has been reported your brain will react well. Certain foods such as oily fish, blueberries, tomatoes and whole-grains apparently all have their own unique benefits. You should also make sure you get your vitamins, in particular B12, 6 and Folic Acid.

Exercise is also important. When you get the heart pumping, it increases the amount of oxygen sent to the brain and considering this is one of the most important organs in your body, allowing it to breathe couldn’t be more beneficial.

Sleep is something-else you shouldn’t “skimp” on and this is something we’re all guilty of. Your whole body needs to rest. However, your brain needs a decent amount of down-time so it can process everything. That’s why we dream. If you sleep well, your body and mind will improve.

Make sure you relax. Humans are social animals, and interacting with others will help you “learn to learn”. We’ve all heard the saying “laughter is the best medicine” and there is a lot of truth to this. Some emotional responses only trigger reactions in certain parts of the brain however; laughter triggers all sorts of responses across many areas.

Techniques Towards a Better Memory

Speed reading is one of the best skills you can learn. It may all sound very complicated, but it’s not really. With some practice, you will be able to read through a document at lightning speed, allowing your brain to take in the information you actually need. You could even try practicing with this article!

Make sure you challenge your brain every day. It’s all very well showing off the fact you can complete the Times crossword in minutes, but that’s not very challenging. Take yourself out of the comfort zone and try something different. Perhaps Sudoku has always eluded you? In which case, it’s time to give it a go. It may all seem very frustrating to begin with but you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll catch on.

Using something called mnemonic devices can also help. There are many different ways to do this. For example (and this is a very simple on). You could learn the phrase “never eat shredded wheat”. The letter at the beginning of each word represents a direction – North, East, South and West. You can adopt this method for remembering all sorts of things.

In Conclusion

The trick is to remember that your brain will never lose its elasticity or ability to take in more information no matter how old you are. You just need to give it some tender loving care and before you know it, you’ll be offering titbits of information your work colleagues will be amazed at.

Aki Hashimoto was struggling with short-term memory until she discovered that you need to know how to learn to learn. She now spends her time wowing friends and work colleagues with the power of her memory.

The vast majority of effective leaders work hard on improving their verbal communication skills to aid them during presentations and team talks. The better you can get your point across to your team, the better you can expect the results to be. However, one area of development where many managers or leaders are lacking is how they present themselves through their non-verbal communication skills, i.e. their body language.

Unfortunately, you can quite easily give one message across with the words you utter, whilst your body language is saying something very different. In fact, body language is such an unbelievably powerful tool it actually has the ability to influence not only those around you, but also your own thoughts. So, how do you work on developing and improving your own body language skills?

The following body language tips will help you to appear more approachable, confident and competent to your subordinates, peers and colleagues alike. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Therefore to ensure you develop into an outstanding leader you need to continually focus on your own personal and professional development.

Smile

It sounds simple doesn’t it? As a leader your team will look to you for inspiration and encouragement. However, by appearing visibly unhappy or distressed you may affect the morale of your team. Studies have shown that your emotions will typically influence your body language and indeed vice versa. In other words, even if you are feeling down or depressed simply putting a smile on your face will go a long way to cheering you up and without doubt it will help to boost your team’s morale.

Use Your Hands

Crossing your arms will typically give the impression that you’re not open to new ideas and it’s often considered a “closed” expression. By simply uncrossing your arms and using your hands to convey your message you immediately become more approachable in the eyes of others. It is also true that the use of hands will inspire you to actually improve the choice of words that come out of your mouth.

Always Look People in the Eye

This is something that is usually drummed into people from a young age. Shifting your eyes around during a conversation is generally associated with lying and no leader would want their team to think they’re being dishonest. By looking a subordinate straight in the eyes when talking you will not only convey honesty, but this will also help to increase the positive feelings between the two of you.

Sit in a Confident Manner

As a leader it’s important to display both control and confidence. There is nothing worse than sitting in a slouched manner and this type of pose can also have an effect on the way in which your staff members perceive you. Apart from ensuring that you sit up straight, it is recommended that you also lean back slightly when talking to colleagues. This gives off a vibe that you are self-assured, which will actually help to influence others; let’s face the facts, people are far more likely to take on board advice or instructions from someone who exudes confidence.

How Do You Know If an Employee is Lying to You?

Most people are aware that certain traits may give them away as liars. Therefore, they typically try and control certain body functions, such as their facial expressions, eye contact and hand gestures. However, one area that is often left to its own devices is the feet. It is common for those who are feeling nervous or anxious to increase their overall foot movements. They will tend to shuffle, twitch or wrap their feet around each other or even the leg of a chair or other item of furniture. In order to relieve tension you may notice someone stretching their feet or even kicking out.

By simply following these tips above you will easily increase your non-verbal communication skills, which will of course help to develop you as an outstanding leader.

Pipa Rose is a writer who believes that body language is an important part of giving presentations and talking to colleagues. There are interesting training programmes and opportunities offered by companies such as Dramatic Solutions to help you understand the impact of body language.

As we all know, education is of vast importance both in the UK and around the globe. Most people within the UK have the ability to read and write even if on a basic level however, in India an astonishing 70% of citizens can not write even though India along with China are the two fastest developing countries in the world. According to recent studies ‘only 6.5% of school graduates pursue higher education degrees in India as compared to 30% in developed countries’.

The majority of citizens from developed countries take for granted the ability to read and write on a daily basis. Good education levels within developed countries are only possible due to the fantastic schooling systems and infrastructure, one example being the public education system in the UK, which does not discriminate and is free to attend.

So would a creative writing course be of much benefit for citizens living in developing countries?

Developing Countries Educational History

Countries that are now in the developing stages of growth in the past put great emphasis on education and schooling systems. The Indian Gurukul system was the first educational school in Egypt, which was founded in the 1970’s and the first universities in Babylonia also founded in the 1970’s are examples of early and advanced education systems amongst developing nations.

As the majority of developing countries have only recently had educational systems put in place, this is a major factor as to why developing countries such as India are struggling in comparison with developed countries such as the US and the UK. The US and UK have had university and schooling systems in place for hundreds of years, leaving developing countries far behind in terms of their educational systems. However, this does not mean that poorer countries will never catch up; advancements in technology and so forth are excellent learning tools for citizens of poorer countries, if they can get access to the technology.

Creative Writing Benefits for Developing Countries

Presently, citizens from developing countries are struggling with their writing techniques and levels due to the lack of access not only due to the Internet, but to good local schools and universities. The infrastructure in many developing countries does not help this problem, the gap between rich and poor is also a significant factor. Infrastructure needs to be developed in a way that allows free and good schooling for all children; 66% of all citizens that can not write in India are female.

Summary

There are opportunities for people in developing countries to gain a new level of understanding in reading and writing in a creative way, more so than what may be available through the standard education systems in many coubtries, ultimately the ability to read and write to a good standard is one of the keys to getting on in life.

Diana is the lead content planner for ateam which undertakes the course planning for creative writing courses

Teaching a classroom of children can be extremely satisfying when you see them learning but it can also be hard work for a significant part of the time. There are plenty of fundamental lessons that have to be taught no matter which year of study your class happens to be but regardless of their age there has to be a break now and again. If you feel like it is time to mix it up a bit with the kind of learning that your students are going through then there are a few activities to try, some with a decidedly fun edge to them.

Painting
Encouraging an artistic side to the members of your class is a positive approach for a teacher to take and it can be the beginning for a talented artist of the future. You can make this an entirely fun activity in which the kids have the freedom to express themselves with any kind of painting they like or you can try to add a little bit more direction. You may try to come up with a theme of what you want the children to paint but it is good to encourage some creativity. If you are allowing the class to do some painting then it is vital that you make the necessary arrangements in your room by covering up any desks and furniture as well as protecting the carpet from any spillages.

Hangman
A great way to have a break from the written work in your class is to get everyone’s attention by playing Hangman. From your point of view as the teacher all you need in this situation is plenty of ideas of words for the children to be able to guess. In order to keep it fun and perhaps competitive too you should split the class into teams, giving each one the opportunity to guess the letters in the word from the clues that you give them.

Capital cities
Geography is not necessarily a serious subject for children until they reach secondary school but it should be taught to a certain level in primary school. You can add an enjoyable element by placing a map on the wall and getting the students to guess the capital cities.

Shared singing
It is expected that there will be a good amount of shared reading done in lesson time throughout the school year but shared singing is perhaps a bit less frequent. There are a lot of traditional songs that you can easily teach to the kids and getting them to sing together is very useful for their concentration and confidence.

Kelly Arnison has taught at a primary school for the last few years and she enjoys these activities with her class. She found the educational paints from http://www.prefectlockers.com/ to be an excellent choice.

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