Transitioning

Transitioning

As we approach the close of the year, we prepare ourselves so we may transition from one year into another.   We look back at where we were back in January, and review the journey we have gone through for almost twelve months.  We picture ourselves with a new year to come, and a new slate upon which we can carve a new path.  For those who are in education, the transition period includes our march toward the halfway mark of the school year.

Last year to now

From last year to now, our students have completed and advanced a grade level, our teachers have taught last year's class and welcome this years students, our lives have been changed, in different degrees, by the events and experiences which we have faced.  There were summer plans, summer school, and summer camps during a break in which we we all preparing ourselves for the current academic year.  Teacher lesson plans were reviewed, recycled, rejected, and/or reinstated into their lessons, and students matured and grew up as they moved up further in their educational paths.

Now to next year

From now to next year, our students would have completed this grade level, and be on their way on to their next one.  Our teachers, having said farewell to this year's class, would be welcoming the next class of students entering their classrooms.  We do not know with certainty were we will be, but we hope that it will be in good conditions, a better situation.  We will do our best to anticipate the needs we may have, not just of our own, but for others as well.  Students will continue onward with their education while being guided by their teachers.

Continuation

For now, both students and teachers are going on with the continuation of this school year.  We are not quite at the halfway mark, but it will be here soon, and this transitioning period can be helpful in making adjustments to each others educational needs.   This is a period of school time in which both great progress and terrible loss can occur.  It is a time to become self-assessed and make sure that we are placing our collective efforts toward the betterment of our education.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

A Summer Poem to Education

A Summer Poem to Education

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

Education takes time.

Education takes space.

If it takes time,

and it takes space;

then it is science,

so education is science.

If it takes time,

and it takes space:

Then it is old.

And it is new.

It's very small.

It's very huge.

Education is old.

Education is new.

Education is small.

Education is huge.

Education takes time.

Education takes space.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

When to Evaluate Education

A Time for Education Evaluation

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

When to Evaluate Education

As education is learned it should also be evaluated.  Education should be evaluated over time at a constant rate.  Just as time is constant, the time for education evaluation should also be constant.  Time for education evaluation needs to be scheduled so that it is clearly known when education evaluation will take place.  From daily five minute warm-ups to annual 12 hour examinations, we hope that the right time for educational evaluations also coincides with the right time for students to be evaluated on their education.  It is also important that we acknowledge that time limits have a limit, and this will have an effect on the results of the evaluation.

Time

We must set a limit on the time in which students are evaluated, and take into consideration that the evaluation must be collected, counted, and corrected.  Three time frames are of great significance when evaluating education: Administration, Assessment, and Application.  Administration time begins when the need to evaluate is agreed upon, and the process of developing a time-limited evaluation, that is fair, is completed and administer to the learners.  Assessment time includes the preparation of educators and learners on how to execute the evaluation, how to secure the evaluation once it has been administered, and how the results of the evaluation will be presented.  Application time begins with the results of the evaluation, and continues on as these results are studied, analyzed, and apply for the betterment of the educational learning process.

In a limited educational evaluation, the learner has a limited amount of time in which to remember what they know about what they are being evaluated on.  It presents a challenge of knowledge and time.  Students must be able to manage problem solving while being aware of the total time allowed, the time needed to solve problems, and the difficulty level of the problem.  Students who develop the skills of recalling knowledge learned over time, and can apply it to solve problems in the time given, will see the results of their educational evaluation to be at a level that is greater than those who do not develop these skills.

A Time to Evaluate Education

With limited time, we can only achieve a limited evaluation.  With a limited evaluation, can only achieve an incomplete assessment.  With an incomplete assessment, the results of our evaluation will also be incomplete.  When we evaluate education, we must also remember that there is a limit to the evaluation due to time constrains.  This time constrains also set a limit on the knowledge that we can evaluate from the students.  By making sure the knowledge that we evaluate in education is clear, measurable, and balanced, we can make sure that the educational evaluation of our students will be fair and will benefit them in their education.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Hike Up

Hiking Up

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

We have sprung into action, seek council, set goals, done path planning, and now it is time to hike up, toward our goal and back.  It is now time to take our place on the road.  It is now time to begin our journey toward that educational goal that we have set and plan to reach.  It is now time to take action, and hike.

As we hike we can begin to see if the path we have planned is  clear and defined.  We can begin to see how good our road-map is.  It is now when the obstacles and challenges that we have and have not prepared for may appear.  We must do what we can to continue hiking up to our goal.

One last chance is presented to us just prior to setting off on a hike.  Do we go?  If we are ready, and we are sure, and we are confident that we have done all that we can to prepare, then we should go on with our hike and toward our goal.

Did we reach our goal?  Were we able to succeed in reaching the goals that we set and planned?  and if we did not, what can we do to reach our goal? do we need to seek more council? do we need to plan another path? As we go on with our hike, these are some of the concerns that we must maintain in mind.  There are many others that we may come across, and some that we cannot anticipate to accurately predict in the future.  But we must hike up to our goal, even if we need to stop.

If we were able to reach our goal, then we must also be able to return back safely to our place of origin, this will consist a successful hike.  We now evaluate our hike and learn from it.  We can now decide if the hike was indeed successful.  Was the hike a good path to reach our goal?  How was our hike? We learn from each individual experience, the experience of the whole, and what we learn, we share again in council, a council in which we can also decide if we are going to hike again, and if so, when.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Seek Council

Seeking Educational Council

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

Time
We are now just three months away from graduation.  It is the end of the 2012- 2013 school year.  It is time for end of year testing, evaluation, promotion, graduation, and/or retention.  Soon the days will become longer as there will be more daylight.  As educators time is coming to an end.  The school year is closing, and stress can be created by the pressure of the end that is approaching, but there is still time.  We have gone past the half-way mark of the school year.  We are close to the 75% completion point, but that should also serve as a reminder that there is still 25% which has not yet happened.

Council

As we begin to feel the pressure applied by the passing of time, and the changes that have taken place, in our places of learning, we should also feel the need, to seek council with our peers.

Seeking council should never be viewed as a failure or weakness, but rather an opportunity to exchange advice.  Seeking council gives us a chance to present a concern and received advice on how best to solve it, as well as receiving concerns others may present to us, and counsel them on how best to solve them.

Seek Council

Talk regularly with your colleagues and meet with them specifically for the purpose of having a council.  Choose a place and a time in which to have council, for example: Before school at a coffee house, during lunch in the cafeteria, after school in the library, or other time and place that is suitable to all participating in the council.

Talk about and brainstorm ideas that can be used to face the challenges that are present before us.  The council can be used to create lessons, plan field trips, address basic skills, and review standard knowledge.  Seeking council will also help create an environment of social interaction and friendship, as well as professional collaboration.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Creating an Education Plan (Part 2)

Education Plan Presentation

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

A good education plan should begin with a brainstorm.  A brainstorm allows the brain to storm thoughts and ideas.  While these thoughts and ideas are storming out of our brain, we must also keep present in mind, that the brainstorming of an education plan will directly affect students, and we must shelter them from any hazards that may appear.  Following the brainstorm of the education plan is the presentation.

Developing the presentation of an education plan takes three stages: Time, Place, and Communication.  These three stages establish the parameters that we need to present the education plan not only to our students, but also to ourselves and others whose guidance can help us in the creation of an education plan.

Time

How much time can we allocate to the presentation of an education plan? Is the plan being created for a 30 minute lesson, for a 5-day week with 1 hour each day? Is this a month or year long plan? Will the plan be implemented tomorrow, next week, in a month, or the following year?  

Time is the first parameter we must take into consideration when creating an education plan.  Once we know how much time we can allocate to the presentation of an education plan, we can proceed to the next stage.

Place

Where is the education plan taking place?  Are we limited to the classroom?  Can we go on a field trip?  Do the school facilities contain the necessary locations and accommodations for the education plan that we are going to create?  

Upon knowing how much time we have, we now need a place where the plan that we are presenting can be implemented and executed.  The second stage of presenting an education plan is finding a location that is suitable.

 

Communication

The third stage in an education plan presentation is communication.  How do we communicate what we want to present in our education plan? Will this be a reading or a lecture? Are notes going to be taken or will there be question/answer interaction? Do we create or project audio/visual aids that enhance the effectiveness of communicating the presentation?   

Communicating, in the allocated time, at the place where we are presenting our education plan, is the final stage, in the presentation of an educational plan, that is being created.

The presentation of an education plan serves the purpose of creating a method of communication.  With the ability to communicate and present the brainstorm of an education plan, we have gotten closer to completing the creation of a good education plan.  By now, our education plan has weathered the brainstorm of ideas, both good and bad, and has a method by which it can be communicated to others.  This is only the start to the creation of an education plan.  Now comes the structure and composition to complete the creation of our education plan.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

ELL Student Development: Developing ELL Students

ELL Student Development

Developing ELL Students

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

Time, Diversity, Culture, and Possibility are four aspects in the development of English Language Learner students.

From one day to several years, the length of time an ELL student will require, to successfully exit the program, will be varied from student to student.  It takes time for students to develop the skills needed to successfully communicate in a new language.  Some students arrive with advanced English language skills from prior education, while others will be experiencing a new language for the first time.  With a program for ELL students that has been established, and is successful, the transition from "English Learner" to "English Learned" will be proper, prompt, and perfect.

How diverse is the new school and how familiar is the student with diversity?  If the student has been introduced to diversity, then the student's learning, in a new education setting that is diverse, should be consistent.  When going from a non-diverse school to a diverse school, or a diverse school to a non-diverse school, an additional challenge is presented to the students, and they must also adapt to this while learning a new language.

There are many levels of culture that an ELL student will face throughout their education.  These will vary from academic to social, environmental to community, and many others.  ELL students should learn how to include the many levels of culture they will be experiencing in their lives.  By learning from both the positive and the negative, what is agreeable and disagreeable, students can develop a cultural level that is balance and helps grow their own cultural identity.

ELL students are the first true ambassadors that students observe, interact, and meet with.  They have the potential of presenting their patronage in a positive light for others to see, while learning a new language, maintaining pace with their mainstream fluent counterparts, and as they attempt to achieve equal education.

Copyright 2012.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Educational Monthly Planning Part 3

“Educational Monthly Planning: Walk in Stride”

By: Manuel R. CortezRodas

            The first step, that one step, has been taken; and the second step has also been completed in the monthly educational planning that has been discussed so far.  The third step is one more step, but a series of multiple steps.  The third step in educational monthly planning requires walking and taking a journey on the educational path.  

The third step in educational monthly planning, walk in stride requires the combination of the first step (Theme, Concept, Standard, Curriculum, Project, Research), with the second step (Month, Weeks, Days, Hours, Minutes/Seconds).  This combination creates a plan that structures the education process in the classroom.  It also serves as the foundation for the final step.

Copyright 2012 MRCR™ Educational Consulting Firm. All Rights Reserved.

Educational Monthly Planning (Part 2)

"Educational Monthly Planning: Look at the Time"

By: Manuel R. CortezRodas

Time is always the second step in educational monthly planning.  The first step was taken in the past, we are taking the second step, and soon we will be taking our third step.  This second step of time is defined by the parameters of one month.  What are we going to educate for this one month? To plan this step we analyze the components of the educational month:

• HOW MANY?
• WEEKS
• It can be as short as one week, or as long as five weeks.  There can be weeks that have prior educational restrictions, or weeks were there is no instruction.  Knowing the number of weeks in the month can help us with our next step by helping us decide if we take a short step, long step, or stop and look at were to take the next step.
• DAYS
• A 31 day plan should take 31 days, and that would require that all participants attend 31 days.  If school is from Monday to Friday, or Saturday, then a 31 day educational plan will have difficulties due to the time limitations.
• HOURS
• Not only should hours be counted, but clearly scheduled on a monthly educational plan.  Will you have less than one hour of instruction for your class? is the one hour daily, or do you have more than one hour of instruction per day with your class?
• MINUTES/SECONDS
• The more refined, the more clarity.  By measuring educational monthly planning to the minute and second, one can refine the plan and have it be clear.  It also allows you to look at possible obstacles that may have to be overcome during instruction.

Copyright 2012 MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.