Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Treating the Side-Effects of Unemployment

Treating the Side-Effects of Unemployment While tips on networking and crafting the perfect resume and cover letter appear online day in and day out, the elements of self-care that go into a job search are no less important! Writer Amy-Louise Goldberg proffers up her â€Å"6 Ps† for managing job-search stress. Briefly, they are â€Å"planning, persistence, perspective, positivity, physical attentiveness and ‘phriends and phamily.’ â€Å" Planning is not only a great tool for mapping out the logistics of your job search strategy–finding open positions, preparing your materials, applying and following up appropriately–but is also a terrific way to alleviate anxiety and that feeling of helplessness that often pervades a period of unemployment. There’s something about writing out a to-do list with checkboxes that leads to a feeling of relief. Don’t be afraid to write out even the smallest steps on a bad day–checking off â€Å"take a shower† and â€Å"eat breakfastà ¢â‚¬  can give you that little jolt of accomplishment you need tackle the bigger tasks of the day. Plan long-term for the next few months, and short-term for the next few days; when one list stymies you, you can find something on the other to get you moving again.Be persistent in your search; Goldberg suggestions managing your expectations by â€Å"[assuming] a conservative average ‘hit’ rate of one interview per 15 resumes sent, and one interview per 15 contacts generated. On the positive side, assume that half that number–1 in 8-interviews–may yield an offer (since you already made it to the interview stage).† Hold on to your sense of perspective as well–it’s a tough climate, but not an impossible for a tenacious job-seeker. Instead of beating yourself up for each setback or letdown, each unanswered email or awkward interview, focus on what each experience has taught you. You can even practice developing narratives about â€Å"a ti me you overcame an obstacle† to bring out in future interviews.Taking care of yourself physically is as important as preparing yourself on paper; make sure you’re getting enough sleep, good nutrition, and exercise to keep your spirits up and your body healthy. Something as simple as weekly yoga, a daily walk, or a break to stand up and stretch every hour may help keep you tuned up.Another element of being unemployed that takes a toll is the feeling of isolation; everyone else is going off to work at more or less regular hours, and it’s easy to feel left behind. That’s why Goldberg recommends â€Å"phriends and phamily† as the final piece of the pie–stay in touch with friends and former colleagues. Even an article with â€Å"read this and thought of you† can help you feel connected and keep conversations ongoing. Find â€Å"running buddies† among your freelancing and fellow job-seeking friends; meet up for â€Å"apply-athonsâ₠¬  in local cafes or take turns hosting one another at home. You aren’t alone, and this isn’t forever. Take good care of yourself and the job search will follow!

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Project Based Learning for Special Education

Project Based Learning for Special Education Project-based learning is an excellent way to differentiate instruction in a full inclusion classroom especially when that class includes students of widely different abilities, from the cognitively or developmental disabled to the gifted children. Project-based learning is also excellent in resource rooms or self-contained classrooms with either typically developing partners or with sufficient support or accommodations. In projects: Science: Create a model of a concept, perhaps insects, and label each part.Reading: Create a television commercial or a web page to promote a book, one you have read together or one that the group has read in a literary circle.Social Studies: Create a play, a power point presentation, or display for a State (as in Michigan,) a country, a political system (socialism, capitalism, republic, etc.) or a political point of view.Math: Plan a trip to a preferred spot (Paris, Tokyo) and create a budget for hotels, flights, meals, etc. In each case the project may support any number of educational objectives: Reinforce Content Retention Project learning has proven, in research, to improve concept retention in a range of students. Deeper Understanding When students are asked to use content knowledge, they are driven to use higher level thinking skills (Blooms Taxonomy) such as Evaluate or Create. Multi-Sensory Instruction Students, not just students with disabilities, all come with different learning styles. Some are strongly visual learners, some are auditory. Some are kinetic and learn best when they can move. Many children benefit from sensory input, and students who are ADHD or Dyslexic benefit from being able to move as they process information. Teaches Skills in Cooperation and Collaboration Future jobs will require not only higher levels of training and technical skills but also the ability to work collaboratively in groups. Groups work well when they are chosen by both the teacher and the students: some groups could be affinity-based, others could be crossability, and some could be friendship based. Alternate Means of Assessing Students' Progress Using a rubric to lay out standards can put students of varying abilities on a level playing field. Student Engagement at its Best When students are excited about what they are doing in school, they will behave better, participate more fully and benefit the most. Project-based learning is a powerful tool for the inclusive classroom. Even if a student or students spend part of their day in a resource or self-contained classroom, the time they spend in project-based collaboration will be a time when typically developing peers will model both good classroom and academic behavior. Projects can enable gifted students to push their academic and intellectual limits. Projects are acceptable across abilities when they meet the criterion established in a rubric. Project-based learning also works well with small groups of students. Pictured above is the scale model of the solar system one of my students with Autism created with me: We figured out the scale together, measured the size of the planets, and measured the distances between the planets. He now knows the order of the planets, the difference between terrestrial and gaseous planets and can tell you why most planets are uninhabitable.

Project Based Learning for Special Education

Project Based Learning for Special Education Project-based learning is an excellent way to differentiate instruction in a full inclusion classroom especially when that class includes students of widely different abilities, from the cognitively or developmental disabled to the gifted children. Project-based learning is also excellent in resource rooms or self-contained classrooms with either typically developing partners or with sufficient support or accommodations. In projects: Science: Create a model of a concept, perhaps insects, and label each part.Reading: Create a television commercial or a web page to promote a book, one you have read together or one that the group has read in a literary circle.Social Studies: Create a play, a power point presentation, or display for a State (as in Michigan,) a country, a political system (socialism, capitalism, republic, etc.) or a political point of view.Math: Plan a trip to a preferred spot (Paris, Tokyo) and create a budget for hotels, flights, meals, etc. In each case the project may support any number of educational objectives: Reinforce Content Retention Project learning has proven, in research, to improve concept retention in a range of students. Deeper Understanding When students are asked to use content knowledge, they are driven to use higher level thinking skills (Blooms Taxonomy) such as Evaluate or Create. Multi-Sensory Instruction Students, not just students with disabilities, all come with different learning styles. Some are strongly visual learners, some are auditory. Some are kinetic and learn best when they can move. Many children benefit from sensory input, and students who are ADHD or Dyslexic benefit from being able to move as they process information. Teaches Skills in Cooperation and Collaboration Future jobs will require not only higher levels of training and technical skills but also the ability to work collaboratively in groups. Groups work well when they are chosen by both the teacher and the students: some groups could be affinity-based, others could be crossability, and some could be friendship based. Alternate Means of Assessing Students' Progress Using a rubric to lay out standards can put students of varying abilities on a level playing field. Student Engagement at its Best When students are excited about what they are doing in school, they will behave better, participate more fully and benefit the most. Project-based learning is a powerful tool for the inclusive classroom. Even if a student or students spend part of their day in a resource or self-contained classroom, the time they spend in project-based collaboration will be a time when typically developing peers will model both good classroom and academic behavior. Projects can enable gifted students to push their academic and intellectual limits. Projects are acceptable across abilities when they meet the criterion established in a rubric. Project-based learning also works well with small groups of students. Pictured above is the scale model of the solar system one of my students with Autism created with me: We figured out the scale together, measured the size of the planets, and measured the distances between the planets. He now knows the order of the planets, the difference between terrestrial and gaseous planets and can tell you why most planets are uninhabitable.

Project Based Learning for Special Education

Project Based Learning for Special Education Project-based learning is an excellent way to differentiate instruction in a full inclusion classroom especially when that class includes students of widely different abilities, from the cognitively or developmental disabled to the gifted children. Project-based learning is also excellent in resource rooms or self-contained classrooms with either typically developing partners or with sufficient support or accommodations. In projects: Science: Create a model of a concept, perhaps insects, and label each part.Reading: Create a television commercial or a web page to promote a book, one you have read together or one that the group has read in a literary circle.Social Studies: Create a play, a power point presentation, or display for a State (as in Michigan,) a country, a political system (socialism, capitalism, republic, etc.) or a political point of view.Math: Plan a trip to a preferred spot (Paris, Tokyo) and create a budget for hotels, flights, meals, etc. In each case the project may support any number of educational objectives: Reinforce Content Retention Project learning has proven, in research, to improve concept retention in a range of students. Deeper Understanding When students are asked to use content knowledge, they are driven to use higher level thinking skills (Blooms Taxonomy) such as Evaluate or Create. Multi-Sensory Instruction Students, not just students with disabilities, all come with different learning styles. Some are strongly visual learners, some are auditory. Some are kinetic and learn best when they can move. Many children benefit from sensory input, and students who are ADHD or Dyslexic benefit from being able to move as they process information. Teaches Skills in Cooperation and Collaboration Future jobs will require not only higher levels of training and technical skills but also the ability to work collaboratively in groups. Groups work well when they are chosen by both the teacher and the students: some groups could be affinity-based, others could be crossability, and some could be friendship based. Alternate Means of Assessing Students' Progress Using a rubric to lay out standards can put students of varying abilities on a level playing field. Student Engagement at its Best When students are excited about what they are doing in school, they will behave better, participate more fully and benefit the most. Project-based learning is a powerful tool for the inclusive classroom. Even if a student or students spend part of their day in a resource or self-contained classroom, the time they spend in project-based collaboration will be a time when typically developing peers will model both good classroom and academic behavior. Projects can enable gifted students to push their academic and intellectual limits. Projects are acceptable across abilities when they meet the criterion established in a rubric. Project-based learning also works well with small groups of students. Pictured above is the scale model of the solar system one of my students with Autism created with me: We figured out the scale together, measured the size of the planets, and measured the distances between the planets. He now knows the order of the planets, the difference between terrestrial and gaseous planets and can tell you why most planets are uninhabitable.