Congratulations to the all the winners who participated in our Common Core Standards giveaway!!!

During February, Facebook users had the opportunity to register for a chance to receive a FREE Mentoring Minds Common Core Standards Flip Chart. Thank you to all of those who participated! We wish everyone success on the upcoming tests. Remember! If you have any questions contact us at 800.585.5258.

CCS Flip Chart Winners:

P.S. Continue to be visit our Facebook page for upcoming contest or giveaways!

If your name is on this list and you have not received your chart please email us at: facebook@mentoringminds.com

Congratulations to the all the winners who participated in our STAAR count down giveaway!!!

Starting back in February, Facebook users had the opportunity to register for a chance to receive a FREE Mentoring Minds product. Participants won Vocabulary Card Sets, Graphic Organizers, and/or Mental Math Loops material. Thank you to all of those who participated! We wish everyone success on the upcoming STAAR tests. Remember! If you have any questions contact us at 800.585.5258.

Improving at anything takes practice. And not just any practice, but productive practice. If, for example, you want to be a better swimmer, it’s counterproductive to spend hour after hour in the pool when your stroke is dreadful. Correct your stroke first, then swim laps. And correcting your stroke requires skillful coaching. Coaches can only help, however, if they know what you need help with–e.g., a swimming coach must see what’s wrong with your stroke in order to help you get it right. Same goes for acting, music, art, and pretty much anything–including academics!

And when it comes to academics, you as the teacher must be that skillful coach. For students to become better writers, they should therefore not only write more, but write more in your presence. For them to master math, they need to do more math in your presence. A lot of teachers cling to the belief that if they prepare and deliver great lessons, kids will be ready to fly solo after a few minutes of independent practice. Homework, in turn, will be all the additional practice they need.

To read the rest of this article, visit EdWeek. 10.05.2010

Fear or test anxiety is fairly common for anyone taking a test. Sometimes students fear they will forget what they know. Others are frightened the test may be too difficult. For whatever reason, test anxiety can prevent students from performing their best. The added pressure of time limits can cause anxiety levels to rise for many students.

When teachers understand what causes test anxiety and follow practical ways for reducing such anxiety, then students will have a better opportunity to achieve their best. Test anxiety contains three key elements: cognitive, affective, and behavioral.

Students who experience test anxiety from the cognitive viewpoint show it through worrying. They doubt their abilities to answer questions because they lack self-confidence. To help these students demonstrate academic success, negative thinking must be minimized and controlled.

From the affective viewpoint, some students (before, during, or after the test) may experience nausea, the need to go to the restroom, the need for a drink of water, or they may literally sweat. Again, these students may worry. They think they will fail and so they might express panic. It may become difficult for these anxious students to concentrate because they are so tense or stressed.

Lastly, students may express anxiety behaviorally. They may procrastinate during the testing situation due to poor study skills and test-taking skills. These students can experience difficulty interpreting information and making meaning of what they see and read. If students do not exercise, do not eat appropriately, or do not sleep enough, they can become overly tired during the test. The recollection of it being a timed test will add to the anxiety and they may express inappropriate emotions.

What can a campus do?

• Give school-wide practice tests with time limits to students throughout the year.
• Offer parent training that shares ways to reduce test anxiety.
• Identify students experiencing test anxiety and meet with them on an individual or small group basis.
• Provide professional development to provide teachers with suggestions for reducing test anxiety within classrooms.
• Have counselors conduct classroom guidance lessons on text anxiety, study skills, and test-taking strategies.

What can teachers do?

• Teach students successful test-taking strategies throughout the year.
• Model and practice pacing strategies so students can develop automaticity in self-pacing as this is unallowable during test administration.
• Develop classroom assessments that expose students to different testing formats.
• Be observant of students who demonstrate text anxiety so they can be taught appropriate strategies and/or work with the counselor.
• Demonstrate and have students practice different relaxation techniques.
• Confer with the counselor and provide students with alternatives for dealing with negative self-talk they may experience before, during, and after tests.
• Locate students who have overcome test anxiety and have them share their successful experiences.

Test anxiety affects students from all ethnic backgrounds, of all genders, and from all grade levels. Helping students learn to effectively manage test anxiety is a challenging task and requires a team effort.

Written by: Sandra Love, Ed.D., Educational Consultant at Mentoring Minds, Published 02.28.2012

How do you know you’re ready to become a teacher leader? Will a trusted colleague tap you on the shoulder and say, “It’s time!”? Do you have to get so frustrated by something that you simply must speak up and work toward a solution? Maybe—but sometimes the signs are subtler. Here are a few things that may signal that you’re on the road to becoming a teacher leader:

Sign #1: You wish you had an impact beyond your classroom.
If you find yourself yearning to take an idea beyond your classroom, you’re probably ready to become a leader.

The first step might be as small as sharing a lesson plan with a colleague down the hall. Then you might spread your expertise further. Perhaps you will blog about how your students are using iPads to work on letter recognition, submit an article to your favorite professional journal, or share your knowledge in topic-focused Twitter chats. Or maybe your next step will be to help “unpack Common Core standards” for your department, or to offer to lead a workshop on bullying.

Whatever path you take, don’t wait to be invited. Act on your interests—you’ll be glad you did.

To continue reading this article visit: EdWeek

Source: EdWeek, written by Marsha Ratzel, February 21, 2012

As students prepare to bubble in those tests, blow away your staff with a little test preparation fun!

• Place coupons or prizes (e.g., Free Jeans Day, Extended Lunch Times, Restaurant Gift Certificates, candy) in bubbles (clear or white balloons). Ask questions to review proper procedures for testing, such as, “What is one thing you tell your students to do on the morning of the state standard test?” “What should you do if a student asks you to explain a test question?” As staff members give correct answers, allow them to burst bubbles and retrieve coupons or prizes.

• Divide your staff into teams and have them select team members to do each of the following activities:
  Blow the largest bubble with chewing gum.
  Pop the greatest number of bubbles on bubble wrap within a given time.
  Pop the least amount of bubbles when walking on bubble wrap.
  Make up a poem/song about bubbles within thirty seconds.
  Blow the largest bubble with bubble solution.
  Brainstorm the most number of items that are “bubbly.”
  Create the best name for a new bubble gum.
  While blindfolded, taste and correctly identify several different brands of bubble gum.

The winner of each activity receives one point for his team. Award bubbly prizes (e.g., gum, bubble bath, soft drinks, hand soap) to the team with the most  points.

By: Karen White, Educational Consultant at Mentoring Minds

Starting each staff meeting on a positive note sets the tone for the entire meeting. To ensure a positive start, begin meetings with a moment to share positive experiences. Here are some examples of prompts that can be used with your faculty members during this sharing time:

• Name a staff member who has helped you since the last meeting.
• Describe a success experience that one of your students had this month.
• Describe a learning activity that worked in your classroom.
• Share something that you have learned since the last meeting.

Use only one prompt per meeting, and solicit participation from multiple staff members.

The holidays are a special time of the year, and we will enjoy them more as leaders when we help our students and staff maintain their focus. Suggestions for helping your school remain focused during this season may include:

• Remind staff and students how they stand on the goals that have been set for the year and encourage them to fi nish the calendar year on a positive note.
• Acknowledge the distractions and challenges that inevitably arise during the holidays, particularly on campuses with young children.
• Provide opportunities for special activities, treats, and a little extra fun in the days immediately preceding a school holiday.
• Present positive expectations for the New Year by giving your staff something to anticipate.
• Generate excitement about a goal or project that can make a real difference early in the New Year. Providing a “forward focus” now will help alleviate the “post-holiday letdown.”

As the holiday season approaches, please be reminded that every day of school is important. Teachers prepare diligently to assure a quality education for students. The success of a campus reflects the priority a campus places on student engagement. Instruction must engage students in purposeful learning experiences. When teachers know and acknowledge this as a priority, then student improvement will occur due to the increase in authentic student engagement. Keeping this priority on center stage will help maintain focus for the entire year, especially during holidays. It can be difficult to balance the needs of all, yet it is the responsibility of the campus administrator to ensure that productivity flows throughout the school year. There are many ways a leader can maintain high standards without being a scrooge. Knowing how to keep the campus focused at any time and not just during the holiday season is an essential key to a high achieving campus.

- Show compassion to others -

As a campus leader, start the year by taking an active interest in the personal lives of staff and students. Showing compassion and leading a campus at the same time is possible as a  compassionate leader can still have control and respect. Continue each day by being caring, nurturing, helping, and a people-person. Modeling these behaviors with staff and students on a daily basis cultivates a positive school climate all year long.

- Set the tone of the school -

It is imperative for the campus leader to be a positive role model. Leaders must take time to build positive relationships with all stakeholders. A campus leader should know the pulse of all the people. Face-to-face contact is the best way. Showing interest in the students is an outstanding way to cultivate such relationships. The building can easily take on the tone and personality of the leader. All staff and students model the attitudes and behaviors of the one in charge, so be positive, act positive, and be visible. School leaders need to set a good example for all. A good leader must continually reach out to others. Develop the habit of smiling and encouraging your staff to smile. A smile has a positive effect on staff, students, and parents. Smiles are contagious and can be the beginning of an effective learning environment. Significant learning occurs when there are significant relationships. Students can listen attentively, work diligently, and it could all occur because of a smile.

- Preserve instructional and learning time -

Avoid unnecessary interruptions of classes since this can be disruptive to the learning process. There is only so much time in the school day and sometimes it appears we are prisoners of time. Thus, principals need to be conscious of interruptions and make adjustments to limit them so as not to detract from the learning environment and take away from instruction.

- Acknowledge and inform students about holidays -

It is important to recognize the holidays that families in a school community celebrate. The context of how this is done is key. Whether it is through a display of holiday traditions, reading or listening to literature, or other avenues, flexibility is a guiding factor. Experiences can vary from teacher to teacher or from classroom to classroom, but legal guidelines define how campuses and students celebrate holidays in schools. The goal of these diverse activities is not to celebrate a particular holiday, but to celebrate the students, to gain an understanding of fellow students’ cultures, and to help students recognize, honor, and enjoy the differences among all.

- Set goals to keep the campus team and students on task -

A campus needs to know the goals that they are working toward. Student engagement must be modeled at all times by a campus leader. Planning ahead can alleviate misuse of time and prevent loss of valuable time. Review academic and behavioral expectations. Collaborate with teachers about down time in a classroom. Acknowledge distractions. Obviously, excitement of students or lack of purposeful lessons could lead to down time, so it is best to plan ahead. Effective classroom management must be in place along with instructional plans containing experiences that motivate students. Lessons should include experiences that alternate between active and passive activities. As the holiday season begins, ask teachers what they are most thankful for in their professional lives. These shared comments, in written format, can serve as inspiration. Campus leaders should avoid introduction of new initiatives during approaching holidays since staffs are trying to complete previously assigned tasks. After holidays occur, the staff will return refreshed and ready to continue their teaching passion.

- Keep communication flowing -

Always keep the faculty and students informed to help them remain focused. Provide a newsletter that is informative and sends a message that parents, students, and teachers must work together to resolve conflicts and develop strategies to help students succeed academically and socially. Include reminders of upcoming campus events. Create a campus schedule that celebrates staff and student accomplishments. In addition, provide incentives that show appreciation. Taking action to keep a campus focused at the onset of the school year and communicating high standards continually will promote and maintain an outstanding learning environment all year. A strong focus on student engagement can make a difference!

Written by: Sandra Love, Ed.D