Twitter for training

Twitter can be a great training tool.

'Basics in Management'....E-learn while you earn........ to know more

Reading Time: 6 minutes (974 words)

Key learnings:

• Twitter is a free social networking and microblogging service that enables users to send and read crisp messages
• Tweeting is blogging with the ease and speed of texting
• Twitter can be used in delivering training to employees effectively

A while ago, people used blogging for social networking. Then came MySpace and Orkut. Recent times saw Facebook and LinkedIn surface as networking platforms. And now, people are tweeting to connect. They are using Twitter for social networking, communicating, training etc.

In a survey, research firm Nielsen Online has found a surge in the number of visitors to Twitter, from 475,000 in 2008 to about 7 million in 2009. This proves the site’s popularity among working adults, and the fact that Twitter is the most widely used social networking platform among Fortune 100 companies. Given this intense activity, can Twitter’s potential be mined for training effectiveness at workplaces? In this article, let us explore the basics of Twitter, its usage as a training and development tool, and what people can and must do to use Twitter at the workplace.

What is Twitter?
Wikipedia defines Twitter as “a free social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read each others’ updates known as tweets”. Itis a free service that allows users to send brief messages of about 140 characters to those in a common network. Tweeting is blogging with the ease and speed of texting.

Twitter is only a platform, not a solution to social networking problems. It passes information from one to many in multiple directions. Attitude is important here. One must approach Twitter with “How can I learn…” and not “How can it teach…”.

Twitter for training
Stephen Hart, a corporate trainer, signed on for Twitter to assess its value as a training tool. Skeptical right from the beginning, he did not see any benefit to organisations. A month or so into it, Hart started posting personal development quotes, and a week later, he had many people signing up as his followers. Tweeps, or followers, were inspired by the thoughtful tweets that Hart had posted, which brought positive changes in their attitude to work. What followed was a lively exchange of ideas and linking of people with shared interests. His attitude towards Twitter as a training tool shifted from doubt to certainty.

Twitter can be used effectively in delivering training to employees. At workplaces, learning happens between people in a group through interpersonal communication. Why not use Twitter to enhance such group communication? Let us see how Twitter can help in delivering training.

Generating ideas to build course content: HR can leverage the potential of Twitter by asking future participants of a training programme to ‘tweet’ their ideas. Twittersphere, the world of Twitter users, could help too.

Faster updates: The Twitter update format could help with faster updates on the information posted. The updates will also be short, with only 140 characters (the upper limit for tweets) of information to analyse.

Quick answers: Tweeting a tough question during a classroom session could help trainers get a quick response from tweeps, also known as friends/followers or tweople (people using Twitter). Trainers could answer follow-up questions from tweople.

Short and meaningful communication: Trainers could post links to new blog posts, podcasts, topic-based online communities or other related information after the training session.

Twitter also allows ‘retweeting’. Retweeting is passing on someone else’s tweet to a larger audience, often with added comments.

Boosting Twitter effectiveness
Twitter, on its own, cannot ensure training effectiveness. A number of strategies must be used for it to work effectively and deliver the desired results.

• Tweets must be repeated frequently, so that tweople find just-in-time information
• A relevant hashtag (similar to a meta tag or keyword) must be created for each learning event. Hashtags allow quick searching to reveal related tweets
• Using quotes in the tweet may support key learning points
• Linked pages must be mobile device friendly

Wriggle out of comfort zone
Despite the benefits that one can reap through Twitter, most of the employees do not use it owing to many false notions, inaccessibility issues, and at times, sheer disinterest. Those of you yet to try Twitter, identify your inhibitions.Do you have too much to say, or nothing to say?

• Don’t you have enough time or do you feel it is a waste of time?
• Does your company firewall block its usage or you don’t know how to use it?

For every one of the above, there is a solution.

If there is too much to say, build skills in drafting clear and concise messages. While this can be difficult initially, once mastered, the skill can be applied to other areas of personal development as well. If you think you don’t have time, turn the break time (for instance, coffee break) into a learning moment. Tweets are focussed information links and take less time than testing results from a search engine.

Twitter is not for sharing trivia, but for reflecting on what has been learnt; to share insights that shape thinking and aid professional advancement. If organisations block its usage, get accustomed to Twitter by working at home. This way, when organisations loosen their strict policies, you could right away connect with people online from the office too.

For those of you thinking that Twitter is a waste of time, it would help to know that this microsharing tool allows open dialogue with organisations, customers and other stakeholders. You could learn about innovations, be aware of organisational practices, integrate them into work schedules for superior performance, and do many more such things and move forward on the learning curve.

Don’t know how to use Twitter? Find Twitter tutorials, read blogs, or sign up for online courses and video instructions. Then, open a Twitter account and start connecting with people.

Published by TheManageMentor.
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The Top 3 Questions You Could Ever Ask At A Networking Event

The Top 3 Questions You Could Ever Ask At A Networking Event

8 Comments

by Bradley Will on November 3, 2009

I used to absolutely hate going to networking events. Back in college, my professors would always emphasize networking being a key player in creating success. Now, I am the first to admit that there may have been just the slightest chance that I may have not been the model college student. And sure, my nonchalant attitude was probably the number one reason why I flat out didn’t understand the science of networking. But my professors insisted and of course I would give it a shot.

Multiple Intelligence Workshop!!

Workshop on Multiple Intelligence!!!

How smart is your child? How can you help your child succeed?

A one day workshop on Multiple Intelligence for Parents and Teachers!!

By Usha Ramakrishnan, Chair person, Vidya Sagar, Chennai

At Gujarathi Samaj on October 30, 2009

As the program is designed to be highly interactive, only limited seats are available!!

Registrations close by 28 October 2009 !!!

For registrations contact : Association for Pre & Primary School Education And Research (APPEAR)

Treasurer @0422-2552124 between 10 am to 4 pm

email: appear09@gmail.com

School started by a 16 year old!!

Tour of the school set up by 16-year-old Babar Ali

Around the world millions of children are not getting a proper education because their families are too poor to afford to send them to school. In India, one schoolboy is trying to change that. In the first report in the BBC's Hunger to Learn series, Damian Grammaticas meets Babar Ali, whose remarkable education project is transforming the lives of hundreds of poor children.

At 16 years old, Babar Ali must be the youngest headmaster in the world. He's a teenager who is in charge of teaching hundreds of students in his family's backyard, where he runs classes for poor children from his village.

The story of this young man from Murshidabad in West Bengal is a remarkable tale of the desire to learn amid the direst poverty.



Babar Ali's 'school' has some 800 students
Babar Ali's day starts early. He wakes, pitches in with the household chores, then jumps on an auto-rickshaw which takes him part of the 10km (six mile) ride to the Raj Govinda school. The last couple of kilometres he has to walk.

The school is the best in this part of West Bengal. There are hundreds of students, boys and girls. The classrooms are neat, if bare. But there are desks, chairs, a blackboard, and the teachers are all dedicated and well-qualified.

As the class 12 roll-call is taken, Babar Ali is seated in the middle in the front row. He's a tall, slim, gangly teenager, studious and smart in his blue and white uniform. He takes his notes carefully. He is the model student.

Babar Ali is the first member of his family ever to get a proper education.

HAVE YOUR SAY
Everything I have and everything I am today is thanks to my education
Mustafa Yorumcu, London
"It's not easy for me to come to school because I live so far away," he says, "but the teachers are good and I love learning. And my parents believe I must get the best education possible that's why I am here."

Raj Govinda school is government-run so it is free, all Babar Ali has to pay for is his uniform, his books and the rickshaw ride to get there. But still that means his family has to find around 1,800 rupees a year ($40, £25) to send him to school. In this part of West Bengal that is a lot of money. Many poor families simply can't afford to send their children to school, even when it is free.

Chumki Hajra is one who has never been to school. She is 14 years old and lives in a tiny shack with her grandmother. Their home is simple A-frame supporting a thatched roof next to the rice paddies and coconut palms at the edge of the village. Inside the hut there is just room for a bed and a few possessions.


Chumki Hajra, a pupil at Babar Ali's school, describes her day

Every morning, instead of going to school, she scrubs the dishes and cleans the homes of her neighbours. She's done this ever since she was five. For her work she earns just 200 rupees a month ($5, £3). It's not much, but it's money her family desperately needs. And it means that she has to work as a servant everyday in the village.

"My father is handicapped and can't work," Chumki tells me as she scrubs a pot. "We need the money. If I don't work, we can't survive as a family. So I have no choice but to do this job."

But Chumki is now getting an education, thanks to Babar Ali. The 16-year-old has made it his mission to help Chumki and hundreds of other poor children in his village. The minute his lessons are over at Raj Govinda school, Babar Ali doesn't stop to play, he heads off to share what he's learnt with other children from his village.

At four o'clock every afternoon after Babar Ali gets back to his family home a bell summons children to his house. They flood through the gate into the yard behind his house, where Babar Ali now acts as headmaster of his own, unofficial school.

Lined up in his back yard the children sing the national anthem. Standing on a podium, Babar Ali lectures them about discipline, then study begins.

Babar Ali gives lessons just the way he has heard them from his teachers. Some children are seated in the mud, others on rickety benches under a rough, homemade shelter. The family chickens scratch around nearby. In every corner of the yard are groups of children studying hard.

Babar Ali was just nine when he began teaching a few friends as a game. They were all eager to know what he learnt in school every morning and he liked playing at being their teacher.


Without this school many kids wouldn't get an education, they'd never even be literate

Babar Ali


Did school change your life?
Now his afternoon school has 800 students, all from poor families, all taught for free. Most of the girls come here after working, like Chumki, as domestic helps in the village, and the boys after they have finished their day's work labouring in the fields.

"In the beginning I was just play-acting, teaching my friends," Babar Ali says, "but then I realised these children will never learn to read and write if they don't have proper lessons. It's my duty to educate them, to help our country build a better future."

Including Babar Ali there are now 10 teachers at the school, all, like him are students at school or college, who give their time voluntarily. Babar Ali doesn't charge for anything, even books and food are given free, funded by donations. It means even the poorest can come here.

"Our area is economically deprived," he says. "Without this school many kids wouldn't get an education, they'd never even be literate."

Seated on a rough bench squeezed in with about a dozen other girls, Chumki Hajra is busy scribbling notes.

Her dedication to learning is incredible to see. Every day she works in homes in the village from six in the morning until half past two in the afternoon, then she heads to Babar Ali's school. At seven every evening she heads back to do more cleaning work.

Chumki's dream is to one day become a nurse, and Babar Ali's classes might just make it possible.

The school has been recognised by the local authorities, it has helped increase literacy rates in the area, and Babar Ali has won awards for his work.

The youngest children are just four or five, and they are all squeezed in to a tiny veranda. There are just a couple of bare electric bulbs to give light as lessons stretch into the evening, and only if there is electricity.

And then the monsoon rain begins. Huge drops fall as the children scurry for cover, slipping in the mud. They crowd under a piece of plastic sheeting. Babar Ali shouts an order. Lessons are cancelled for the afternoon otherwise everyone will be soaked. Having no classrooms means lessons are at the mercy of the elements.

The children climb onto the porch of a nearby shop as the rain pours down. Then they hurry home through the downpour. Tomorrow they'll be back though. Eight hundred poor children, unable to afford an education, but hungry for anything they can learn at Babar Ali's school.

Guru Ashtakam!!

This is Guru Ashtakam, a Hindu sacred chant sung for lord Guru. This sloka was written by one of the great sages of Hinduism "Sri Adhi Sankaracharyar".

Membership requirements

(1) Patrons shall be persons of eminence whose contact with the Association is expected to assist in the realisation of the objectives of the Association. They shall be elected by the Executive Committee for a specified period

(2) Donors shall be persons who pay a sum of not less than Rs.5000. They shall have all the privileges of life-members. They shall be accepted by the Executive Committee. The Donor fees may be may be increased from time to time by the Executive Committee with the approval of the General Body.

(3) Honorary Members shall be persons who have made a distinguished contribution to the cause of the Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED). They shall be elected by the Executive Committee and shall not have any voting rights.

(4) Life Members shall be persons in sympathy with the objectives of the Association who pay a sum of not less than Rs.2,500. The joining fees for Life membership may be increased from time to time by the Executive Committee with the approval of the General Body. The application for membership shall be approved by the Executive Committee.

(5) Ordinary Members shall be persons who shall pay such annual subscription as may be determined from time to time by the Executive Committee with the approval of the Annual General Meeting. The term of their membership shall be for one year. No person shall be admitted directly as an ordinary member of the Association unless his membership is approved by the Executive Committee. The Annual membership for teachers is Rs.250/- and Rs.500/- for others.

(6) Institutional members are institutions concerned with the Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) which pay such annual subscription of Rs.1000/- (One Thousand) only or as may be determined from time to time by the Executive Committee with the approval of the Annual General Meeting.

(7) Associate Members shall be students of Education (be it a Certificate, Diploma or Degree courses) and others who shall pay only half the annual membership fee.

What are the benefits of membership?

Forum for networking and communication between members through branch membership, events and specialist groups, magazines, publications and website or blog: appearindia.blogspot.com

Skill enhancement programmes for teachers and principals

Specialist groups with representatives of schools, academia and government, as well as other individuals addressing ECED and skill development of teachers.

Programme of events, including a schedule of conferences, seminars, evening meetings, school visits and training courses

Members yearbook of essential contact and interest details of individuals and institution’s available only to Life members and Donor members.

Members magazine, printed or electronic, including news of the association, the members activities and education related news and views.

Other benefits

• Local Leadership opportunities

• Education Resources

• Recognition of teachers’ long and successful service

• Facilitate to support teachers to attain professional goals,

• Discounts on fees for conferences and workshops

Purpose of the Association!!

The purpose of the association is

• To create a Child friendly school environment

• To promote the education and well-being of all children at home and school.

• To develop norms for desirable conditions, programs and practices for children and work towards achieving them

• To create a forum for active cooperation of all stakeholders concerned with children.

• To develop skills of those actively involved with the care and development of children.

• To facilitate continuous professional growth of teachers.

• To create an awareness about the different learning styles among students, parents and teachers and mobilize public opinion towards revamping the assessment system.

• To affiliate with or grant affiliation to regional associations and collaborate with National and International Associations working in the field of Early Childhood Education

• To develop leadership of the students, teachers, parents and heads of institutions

Members of the erstwhile IAPE - Please contact Secretary

Dear Correspondents and Principals of institutions, Life Members, Members,

The Indian Association for Pre School (IAPE) stands dissolved and no longer exists. The working group of the IAPE in the meeting held in Mumbai on April 12, 2009 at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, has decided to form a new association called Association for Early Childhood Education and Development (AECED).

The general body of the Coimbatore chapter met on April 8, 2009 and unanimously decided to form a new association independent of AECED. Hence a new association was formed and registered under the Tamilnadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 ( Regn No, 184/2009).

You are requested to contact the secretary by email appear09@gmail.com or 91-422-2452777 to register yourself or your institution with the new association.

Mrs.Hema Ravikishan and Mrs.Vijayalakshmi continue to be the President and Secretary of the new association also.

Institutional Members of the erstwhile IAPE

IAPE, Coimbatore Chapter– Institutional Members (You are requested to re-register with the new Association)

1.Ramnagar Suburban Society

Rajaji Street,

Ram Nagar,

Coimbatore – 9.

2.Sri Ayyappan Puja Sangam

for Sastha Bala Vidya Vihar,

Sathyamurthy Road,

Ram Nagar,

Coimbatore – 9.

3.Angappa Educational Trust

Higher Scondary School,

Raja Annamalai Chettiar Street,

Coimbatore – 11.

4.Bharathi Matric.Hr.Sec.Cshool,

3/7, Thadagam Road,

Coimbatore – 25.

5.Bal Vikas Mandir,

5/4, A – I Devinilayam,

Gandhi Nagar Layout,

Kavundampalayam,

Coimbatore – 30.

6.GeeeDee Matric School,

No.2, K.K. Lane,

Old Post Office Road,

Coimbatore.

7.L.R.G Naidu Education Trust,

India House,

Trichy Road,

Coimbatore – 18.

8.Mrs.Sandra Smaller,

Alwyn English Nursery School,

162, 5^th Street,

Gandhipuram,

Copimbatore – 12.

9.Srinivasa Vidyalaya,

Gandhi Nagar,

Udumelpet – 642154.

10.Officer-In-Charge,

Air Force School,

Air Force Administrative-

Collage,

Coimbatore – 18.

11.Chinmaya Garden School,

N G G O Colony,

Coimbatore – 22.

12.S B O A Matric. Hr. Sec.

School,

Ram nagar,

Coimbatore – 9.

13.St.Paul’s School,

195-A, Alaganna Gounder

Street,

Saibaba Colony,

Coimbatore – 38.

14.Mani Feeder School,

Lakshmi Mills Colony,

P.N. Palayam,

Coimbatore – 37.

15. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Matriculation School,

532, D B Road,

R.S.Puram,

Coimbatore – 2.

16. YWCA Preparatory School,

Avinashi Road,

Coimbatore – 18.

17. Modern Matric School,

Vadakku Thottam,

Malumichampatti,

Coimbatore – 21.

18.Blossoms Play School, 63, Srinivasa Raghavan Street,

R.S.Puram,

Coimbatore – 2.

19.E.Balakrishna Naidu Matric School,

Avarampalayam,

Peelamedu,

Coimbatore – 4.

20.Brindavan Matric School,

Kavundampalayam,

Coimbatore – 30.

21.Brain Matric School,

Kavundampalayam,

Coimbatore- 30.

22.CMS Hr,Sec.School,

Ganapathy,

Coimbatore- 6.

23.Sindhi Vidyalaya Matric School,

Dr.Ambedkar Road,

Velandipalayam,

Coimbatore – 25.

24.Kikani Matriculation School,

Ramaswamy Road,

R.S.Puram,

Coimbatore – 2.

25.Sree Narayana Mission Matric

School,

93, Narayana Guru Road,

Coimbatore – 11.

26.St.Joseph’s Matric School,

484, Trichy Road,

Coimbatore – 28.

27.Immaculate Heart of Hr.Mary’s

Hr.Sec. School,

Veerapandi Privu,

Press Colony Post.

Coimbatore – 19.

28.Gandhi Matric School,

V.O C Nagar,

Sivupai – 641 302.

29.John Bosco Matric School,

G.N. Mills Post,

Coimbatore – 29.

30.Perks Hr. Sec. School,

Uppilipalayam,

Coimbatore – 15.

31.Holy Angels Matric School,

Metupalayam.

32.Carmel Garden Hr.Sec School,

Pulliakulam,

Coimbatore – 45.

33.Chinmaya Vidayalaya matric

Hr.Sec.School,

Thondamuthur Road,

Coimbatore – 41.

34.ARC Matric School,

Somanur Post,

Coimbatore – 68.

35.Alvernia Matric Hr.Sec School,

Ramanathapuram,

Coimbatore – 45.

36.Arokkiia Matha Hr.Sec School,

Udumalpet Road,

Pollachi.

37.ALG Matric School,

Damu Nagar,

Coimbatore – 45.

38.Alagammai Achi Girls

Hr.Sec.School.

Mahalingapuram,

Pollachi.

39.Amala Matric School,

Ganapathy,

Coimbatore – 6.

40.Akshara Fun School,

103, West Ponnurangam Road,

R.S.Puram,

Coimbatore – 2.

41.Brindisi matric School,

Shanthii Ashram,

Gandhi Puram,

Coimbatore.

42.CRR Matric School,

Ondipudur,

Coimbatore – 16.

43.Chavara Vidya Bhavan Matric

School,

Vadavalli,

Coimbatore – 41.

44.ELGI Matric School,

Vellalore Post,

Coimbatore.

45.Ganambika Matric School,

Perur,

Coimbatore – 10.

46.G.K.D Matric School,

Periyanaikanpalayam,

Coimbatore- 20.

47.G.R.G Matric School,

Peelamedu,

Coimbatore – 4

48.GOS Matric School,

Kavundampalayam,

Coimbatore – 30.

49.Goodwill Matric School,

Veerakeralam,

Vadavalli,

Coimbatore – 41.

50.Kovai Kalaimagall Hr.Sec.

School,

Ganapathy,

P.N.Palayam Road,

Coimbatore – 6.

51.’Kids 2000” Fun School,

No.5, North South

Father Randy Road,

RS Puram,

Coimbatore – 2.

52.Little Hearts Play School,

7^th Cross,

Bharathi Park Road,

Coimbatore.

53.Holy Cross Matric School,

Thadagam Road,

Coimbatore – 25.

54.V.Rukmani Ammal Children

School,

102, Dr.Radhakrishnan Road,

Coimbatore – 12.

55.Ideal Matric School,

Narasimanayakkanpalayam,

Coimbatore – 45.

56.The First Step Montessori

School,

No.46,50 Feet Road,

Krishnaswamy Nagar,

Ramanathapuram,

Coimbatore – 45.

57.G.Ramaswamy Naidu Matric

Hr.Sed.School,

Peelamedu,

Coimbatore – 14.

58.G.D.Nursery Shool,

Tea Estate Compound,

Race Course,

Coimbatore.

59.Hari Om Matric School,

Teachers Colony,

Ashokapuram,

Coimbatore – 27.

60.Laural Matric School,

Kavundampalayam,

Coimbatore – 30.

61.Metro Matric School,

Mettupalayam Road,

Coimbatore – 1.

62.Marutham Pre School,

Near Anjanayar Temple,

Navavoor Privu,

Coimbatore.

63.M.N.Chikkanna Chettiar Matric

School,

B.S.Sundaram Road,

Thirupur – 638 601.

64.KPM School,

Dheeba Nagar,

Pollachi Road,

Coimbatore – 21.

65.Krishnaswamy Nagar Ganga

Nagar Matric School,

Ramanathapuram,

Coimbatore – 45.

66.Nairs Matric School,

NGGO Colony,

Coimbatore.

67.Nirmala Matha Matric School,

Kuniyamuthur,

Coimbatore – 8.

68.Our Lady Of Lourdes Matric

Hr.Sec.School,

Pollachi – 642 001.

69.Ruby Matric School,

484, Sathy Road,

Ganapathy,

Coimbatore.

70.M.Rajini,

32, JJ Nagar,

Navavoor Privu, B U (post)

Official Address:

SK No.14,

Marutham Play School,

Navavoor Privu,

Coimbatore.

71.Nanjappa Gowder Mamorial Trust,

Nursery School,

281, Sammayur Street,

Coimbatore – 1.

72.National Model Matric School,

Udumelpet – 642126.

73.Kongu Matric School,

Chinna Mettupalayam,

Coimbatore – 6.

74.Keerthiman Matric School,

Thadagam Road,

Coimbatore – 8.

75.Kumarasamy Matric School,

Ganapathy,

Coimbatore – 6.

76.Presentation convent,

Head Post Office Road,

Coimbatore – 1.

77.Perks Hr.Sec.School,

Upplipalayam,

Coimbatore – 15.

78.P R Siddha Naidu Memorial

Childrens School,

Sidhapudur,

Coimbatore – 45.

79.Pioneer Hr.Sec. School,

Jyothipuram,

Coimbatore – 47.

80.Prema Matric Hr.Sec.

School,

Tirupur,

Coimbatore – 7.

81.Pratima Vania,

Shivani Nursery School,

3,Rajanagar Layout,

Near Naveen Hospital,

Cooimbatore – 28.

82.P.K.D Matric Hr.Sec. School,

A, Sangam Palayam,

Achipati Panchayat,

Pollachi – 642 002.

83.Ram Nagar Suburban Society

Nursery School,

Rajaji Street,

Ram Nagar,

Coimbatore – 9.

84.Ramaswamy Matric School,

Mettupalayam Road,

Coimbatore.

85.Rootary Primary School,’

Rayapuram Main Road,

Tirupur.

86.RGM Matric School,

KVE Thottam,

Trichy Road,

Sulur,

Coimbatore –2.

87.Srinivasa Vidyalaya Hr.Sec

School,

Gandhinagar,

Udumalpet – 642 126.

88.Stanes Hr.Sec. School,

Avaanishi Road,

Coimbatore.

89.Sri.Vidya Nikethan Public School,

81,Kalappa Street,

K.K.Pudur,

Coimbatore – 38.

Learning Styles!!

THE KINESTHETIC LEARNER

Ways to Spot One - A child who Wants to:

• move all the time
• touch and feel everything, rubs hands on walls, hallways, door frames as he moves
• thumps buddies
• can take an item apart and put it back together
• enjoys doing things with his hands
• is well co-ordinated, good at sports (except eye-hand co-ordination if visual modality strength is lacking)
• frequently uses fists
• may make paper airplanes
• needs to use concrete objects as learning aids
• cannot rote count or sequence material without aids
• has difficulty establishing one-to-one relationships in number values
• after age 6.5 is generally classed as an underachiever
• often described as a child who can't keep his hands to himself
• needs to explore his environment more than average for this age
• is often considered hyperactive

1. Adjustments - What can be done

• provide quiet down period after physical activities
• alternate quiet periods and rest periods
• task reward may work well
• avoid putting him too close to other children
• provide cues for end of study time - timer or clock
• encourage visits for drinks/bathroom before class
• make it harder to move than to sit still - e.g. desk against wall
• is often unaware of own movement and distracted by that of others
• may be on medication for hyperactivity - find out
• use picture to help establish associations - words/numbers/meanings
• attach verbal labels
• use visual, auditory, and kinesthetic methods for teaching writing
• allow for planned times for movement, such as monitor jobs
• Teaching methods - How to plan
• use movement exploration - adding/subtracting/prepositional concepts can be taught on monkey bars
• have children clap or tap out numbers, syllables, walk patterns of words
• use number lines on the floor - child can use heavy objects along the line for more physical feedback
• use sandpaper letters/felt letters, writing in sand/clay, 3-D materials
• child may need to talk to self for motor feedback
• use all manipulatives possible
• do lots of things with eyes shut using 3-D letters
• use lots of writing - may need to introduce with stencils
• supply concrete objects for counting sequencing, establishing patterns seeing similarities and differences

THE AUDITORY LEARNER

Ways to Spot One - A child who:

• never stops talking
• tells jokes and tries to be funny
• can win spelling bee if taught "say-spell-say" method
• is a good story teller - they get taller and taller
• has poor handwriting, a history of reversals
• can remember what is said to him and repeat it accurately
• makes a good boss
• likes records, folk dances, rhythmic activities
• has ten excuses for everything
• knows all the words to all the songs
• can memorize easily
• has a poor performance on group intelligence tests
• seems brighter than group tests reveal
• has poor perception of time and space

• Adjustments - What can be done
• take out as much noise as possible
• find him a quiet place to work
• very soft background music may help
• use as few words as you can when giving directions
• if you repeat, use the same words
• speak directly to the child
• earphones and tape recorders help cut out distractions of other noises

1. Teaching methods - How to plan

• teach him to talk through tasks
• allow him to spell out loud
• let him say syllables out loud
• have him name punctuation marks as he reads to develop an awareness of their function
• play lots of rhyming and blending games
• allow him to think out loud. Encourage oral response
• tape record lessons and tests Use records.
• pair him with a visual learner
• encourage him to use colour cues and markers
• use neurological impress method (child pointing to words while you read to him)

THE VISUAL LEARNER

Ways to Spot One - A child who:

• likes to look at books and pictures - stays with a book, not just manipulating books on and off the shelves
• loves to look at orderly things - demands neat surroundings
• can find what others have lost and remembers where they have seen things
• sees details - how you dress, if your slip is showing, errors in typing
• can find a page in a book or workbook readily - may have it half done before the others start
• can't get directions orally (if the child is timid, will copy from others rather than ask for more directions)
• likes to work puzzles
• probably will be able to make good pictures - at least ones with good balance
• can set the table correctly and remembers where the dishes belong in the cupboard
• may have a speech problem
• may watch teacher's face intently
• rarely talks in class or responds in as few words as possible

1. Adjustments - What can be done

• take out visual distraction - place him in as uncluttered an area as possible
• leave a frame of blank wall around visual displays
• on a worksheet, put a heavy line around items to help pupil attend to one item at a time
• give him a big marker
• allow him to point if necessary. Let him touch the first letter of each word
• let him get one worksheet at a time, rather than handing him several papers at once. This also gives the child a purpose for moving about as he turns in his completed work and gets his next assignment
• try not to stand in front of a cluttered background when instructing
• give him one step of an assignment at a time

1. Teaching methods - How to plan

• give lots of visual directions
• give demonstrations
• use matching games, charts, and graphs
• use maps and teach the use of a legend
• use colour coded systems
• use number frames and abacuses
• use dictionaries and give visual symbols for sounds
• use configuration clues
• have him look for words, letters, pictures in papers and magazines
• use mirror to see mouth
• use clues such as a green dot as the place to begin, a red dot to stop. This also helps to develop directionality
• allow the child to work with rulers and number lines to develop math concepts