ELIG, JISC, and The Higher Education Academy: University of Europe, who’s making it happen?

The current economic climate, and the subsequent rise in adult education, e-Learning, and the accessibility of being able to take an online degree is driving the technological advancement of, and investment in, computer-based distance learning. Because of this, many are speculating that very soon an open content University of Europe might be the next significant step for higher education. So, aside from the institutions that are expressing interest in the scheme, what other organisations are exploring the future of boundary-less distance learning.

European Learning Industry Group. The ELIG was established in 2002 with the aim to explore e-Learning and to make Europe an ‘economic and social force on the global stage’. Today the organisation is endorsing the idea that open education will transform education to really meet the needs of the 21st Century. ELIG invites other organizations within the industry to become members to form a cohesive, all-inclusive group on an international level – and to push the education sector towards innovation and openness in Europe.

Joint Information Systems Committee. The JISC is a UK body that supports innovation and research in ICT to build knowledge, promote learning and research, and to become a more comprehensive medium for teaching. The JISC was established in 1993 under influence from the Secretary of State in order to promote and benefit the overall development of the higher education sector. Subsequently, the JISC funds three services: Advisory – to help institutions choose the best product or approach for them and their community, Production – to maximise value for money through correct institution-specific infrastructures, and Development – to test innovative or “novel” approaches in terms of their validity.

Higher Education Academy. Currently collaborating with the JISC in research on open content and its benefits, the Higher Education Academy is an independent body that aims to support higher education and improve the UK student learning experience. The Higher Education Academy not only assists research and supports institutions, but also has its own network of “discipline-specific” subject centres around the country that offer support on a subject, and individual level. With funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Higher Education Academy set up a programme (commencing in April 2009) to make a range of learning resources written by academics, easily available and re-usable by other tutors via the internet.


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Analyzing the Piano Keyboard Lesson

When is a piano keyboard lesson horrific? The answer is quite obvious. It’s horrific when a teacher is a total lunatic. How do we define total lunatic in terms of piano teaching technique? If the teacher cusses, hits, smashes anything or continually walks out of the room (and re-enters the room a few minutes later in a completely opposite, drug-induced mood), then it’s time to head for the hills.

When is a piano keyboard lesson wonderful? This enlightening scenario occurs when a teacher has a sense of responsibility, commitment and humor. It’s also desirable for a teacher to be able to demonstrate with ease any technical difficulties that may arise from a piece that is being learned by a student.

Many of my colleagues have had both types of teachers in the past, and have survived the ‘nightmare’ quite well. Alas, some students do not survive a bad teaching experience, in the sense that their hobby or potential career as a pianist gets shattered by a teacher with a horrific attitude. This situation beckons the question, “How does one survive an abusive teacher, or even a teacher of no inspiration and mediocre ability?” This is a tough question which deserves a fresh paragraph.

I have always followed the philosophy that one always learns something from a good or a bad teacher. Awful teachers are a shining example of qualities to be avoided in life’s future. Of course, the best option is to leave a bad teacher before they make life miserable for you. However, that is not always an immediate option, as is occasionally seen in our public and private school systems.

If the only short term option is to ‘tough it out’, as it were, then learning what a teacher is doing wrong is an education in itself, even if it is in unpleasant circumstances. Alas, a low quality teacher will usually have a few scattered bits of okay advice stashed away within all the garbage. If the stench can be ignored, perhaps little crumbs of good can come from an undesirable situation.

I’ve had teachers that have chain smoked (it used to be acceptable), hit knuckles, screamed unnecessarily, and taught while being intoxicated. It’s painfully hilarious to look back at this list and think that I became a professional musician with this type of background. However, as much as I hate to admit it, I did learn how not to teach from my second rate and mediocre teachers of the past.

Of course, I’ve had amazing teachers that I’ve certainly learned a lot more from, and I would have rather learned ‘disturbing methods of teaching and characteristics to be avoided’ from a manual, thus saving the heartache of learning from unsatisfactory tutors.

So why do some teachers develop a less than desirable attitude? It could be for any number of reasons. Perhaps the teacher in question is not a skilled communicator. Perhaps the skill level of the grumpy teacher’s instrumental technique is questionable. In both of these scenarios, a tutor may feel threatened if challenged by a student. It is also possible that an educator, for whatever reason, has grown intolerant or has become burnt out. Both of these situations should indicate red flags for students and their parents or guardians.

So when is a piano keyboard lesson completely and utterly satisfying? It’s satisfying when I teach it to a student who leaves the lesson with a smile on their face and a twinkle of inspiration in their eyes. That’s when!

Author : Daniel E. Friedman

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=345033&ca=Education

Want a Better School Year? It’s About Relationships

Forget curriculum. Forget better classroom management programs. Start looking at how you teach and the relationships you have with your students.

As an Empowered Teacher, you need to balance two things masterfully. You must balance important, meaningful relationships with your students with high expectations for them to do competent work. It is not only possible to have both; it is imperative.

As Dr. William Glasser says, “What people fight or resist is control; not education; not relationships." As an Empowered Teacher, you know the teachers you worked your hardest for were the ones you liked and who held you accountable for stretching and growing.

I know today’s students may make it seem difficult, if not impossible, to teach your curriculum. This is a very real challenge if you don’t take the time to get to really know your students, collectively and individually. There is an old expression that says, “People don’t care what they know until they know that you care.” Never is this more true than today in teaching students in our public school systems.

Many of you were taught in your undergraduate programs to make sure you don’t smile at your students until Christmas. This is very poor advice. While it is true, you don’t just want to exclusively get your kids to like you, developing relationships should initially take priority over everything but safety.

Your school year should begin with you spending time introducing yourself in more than a superficial way. Tell them who you are, what you stand for, what you will and won’t do for them, what you will and won’t ask them to do. Spend some time crafting your answers to these questions, keeping in mind what is most important to your students. Then, don’t even look at your curriculum for the first two weeks.

You can’t have a free-for-all with no rules and total anarchy. After introductions, begin with a class meeting to discuss what rules you and your students need to co-exist with each other throughout the school year.

Begin with your non-negotiable priorities. I recommend three. First, you must ensure your room is a safe place to be. Whatever happens, you cannot allow anyone to be hurt on your watch.

Secondly, learning is a priority. While you can’t insist everyone will learn in your room, since you can’t make anyone learn who refuses to. What you can do is ask that if a student is temporarily disengaged from the learning process, that he or she does not get in the way of others learning. In this way, if a student needs a little time out, there is no penalty as long as that student is not disruptive.

Finally, tell your students that you stand for respect. While everyone may have a different definition of respect, no one in your class will say he or she doesn’t want his person and things to be respected.

Once you have those non-negotiables firmly in place, you can openly discuss with your students what specific classroom rules they want to have in place to help honor those non-negotiables.

After getting the rules established, you can go about the business of developing teamwork, cooperation and respect between you and your students and among themselves.

There are many kinesthetic activities that can be used to get to know your students and to help them to know each other. I recommend the book, Classroom of Choice, by Jonathan Erwin to help you with specific exercises to build relationships in your classroom.

Author : Kim Olver

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=346495&ca=Education

Boost Your IQ: Techniques to Increase Your Intelligence Quotient Today

It is possible to enhance your intelligence quotient in a matter of 10 minutes. Some techniques to do so are discussed below.

Don't you want to enhance your IQ? Of course, you can use the brain power exercises and techniques. But these are long term and you would need to regularly practice them. What if you want to boost your IQ now, when you don't have more than 10 minutes. You would need all your IQ for any important meeting, or a test or any other major event in your life. If you really need some concrete results and not argue about intelligence, try the following techniques.

Breath To Increase Intelligence Quotient:

Breath deeply through your nose. This will relax you immensely and help you remain calm and composed. Deep breathing infuses oxygen into your blood and therefore into your brain and enhances its functioning. A relaxed brain will be far more efficient. Also nose breathing uses the diaphragm more, so lungs draw more air. This is the simplest and shortest way to enhance your intelligence quotient immediately.

Another level of relaxation through breathing is meditation. Sit in whatever posture you are comfortable and concentrate on your breathing. With eyes closed, breath through your nose initially and this will truly calm and relax you. you will have thoughts interfering but just ignore them and keep your focus on your breathing. Do this for a few minutes.

Posture and exercise can improve your IQ:

The posture you take while at any problem will surely affect the intelligence at your disposal. Just observe the difference when you solve a math problem slouching and sleeping while you do the same sitting upright. The latter posture will definitely be better since you can think a lot better like that.

You need to exercise, but not a very hectic regime as such. Exercise just enough to pump blood into your brain. Walking works for many but a better alternative to boost your IQ is aerobics.

Sleep also is very crucial for proper brain functioning. But the quality of sleep is also important apart from the duration of sleep.

Diet to Boost IQ:

One tree whose leaves do certainly increase blood flow into brain is ginkgo biloba tree. You can use its leaves either in tea or in form of capsules. It also helps improve your memory power and concentration. The effect is immediate and it lasts long if regularly used.

Caffeine is certainly a IQ booster. It has been proved that any test taken after consuming caffeine in some form or the other does increase your scores. But do remember, that the effect is only temporary and caffeine if used longer can have adverse side effects too.

Give up sugar. Any carbohydrate if taken beyond a limit, can blur your thinking. Insulin gets injected into your blood stream after you have sugar and thus diminishes your ability to think. Avoid all carbohydrates like white flour, sugar, potatoes if you want to think clearly.

Results matter in the end:

Experts will endlessly debate if the above techniques can really boost one's IQ. But there are times when it is very crucial for you to score high in a test. The above techniques if are found to be IQ booster, why not use them rather than wasting time in thinking if IQ really gets boosted or not. What matters is the score you get in the IQ test. So if you sleep well, have coffee and think sitting straight and if all this boosts IQ, there is no harm in doing the above techniques. These will prepare you better to face any task. Hence, be wise and don't debate any more on IQ and its definitions.

I am sure you all know Henry Ford. What was his IQ, any idea? Why bother? He was the most creative thinker of the last century and he was so because he was always in the company of intelligent people. That alone is a direct 20 point in IQ. I hope you get the point I state here.

You are concerned about results. Hence if you want to be creative resort to such techniques of finding a solution. There are techniques available to try out anything. Try your hands at speed reading and you will have double the grasp on the subject you read. What the world will see are the results or achievements you garner in your lifetime. The Monalisa, the Empire State building etc are what the world will remember and not your score in IQ tests.

Author : Evgheni Stivenson

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=347187&ca=Education

Study Tips -- Using Mind Maps

If you are a college student, you have to make notes when you are attending lectures or studying at the end of the day. You latter use those notes to study for your exam at the end of the semester. This can be tedious and often counterproductive. How often do you take notes and never look at them again or find that they are incomplete.

You may have thought there must be a better way take notes. Is there a method that will work better than than my current technique?

There is probably no one way of note taking that works best for everyone in all classes, since people all have their own learning style.

The big issue with conventional note taking is that this is a passive process. Simply taking notes during class does not get the brain to interact with the material and store the information. When your brain is more actively involved in organizing the learning material it will recall it better later.

If you are a strong visual learner, one thing that you can benefit from is making notes that include lots of images, such as graphs, drawings, or even cartoons. If you are a lousy writer and more of an auditory learner than a visual one, tape recording your lectures may be the way to go.

For highly visual learners a particular method of note taking is called mind-mapping. Sometimes referred to as a learning map.

Although it takes some exercise and training to utilize mind-mapping effectively, people who become efficient at it find they can retain and remember more material in a lot less time.

The technique of the learning-map is very simple. The supplies you need include: a blank piece of paper, the larger the better, at least one pen, more if you want to use a variety of colors.

A mind map can become quite busy as you add your notes to it, so it is important to keep the size of your writing quite small. A fine point pen can help with this. Over time you will be able to judge what size of writing will work best.

Determine what you think the central theme is as you listen to the lecturer, or as you read the textbook you are studying. For example, you might be reading about the Great Depression where you decide the main topic is , ”What was the new deal?” .

Write down the main topic in the center of the page and circle it. You may also want to highlight your central topic. Do not write formally. Just write down a sentence or a fragment, whatever it takes to bring the ideas back into your mind.

Continue reading or listening, and paying attention for the first main sub-topic.

When the first major sub-topic presents itself, write down a few key words on the page to summarize the sub-topic. Circle the the words you just wrote down. Connect the sub-topic with the main topic by drawing a line.

Repeat this every time you come across a new sub topic. Eventually it will start resembling a wagon wheel, with the main topic surrounded by sub-topics.

Remember this is not an art project, the lines or spokes do not have to be straight or perfect, and they can vary in length as needed. The circles do not have to be round; they can be oval, triangles, or squiggles, or even hearts if you prefer. Different colors may help you organize the thoughts more completely.

As the lecture continues, you will find that some of the material being covered includes details that support one of the sub topics that you have all ready isolated. Using just a few words, write down these second generation topics, put a circle around them and connect them to their sub topic with a line. It is best to use a different color pen for each sub topic.

As the lecture progresses and the instructor expands on her ideas your sub-topics will have many second generation topics surrounding it. When you look at your paper you will instantly know the dominant themes of the lecture and the organizational structure of the topic.

Do not be afraid to write down any ideas or even questions of your own while listening to the talk.
This shows you have your brain actively interacting with the material and will remind you of where further study is needed.

The visual document that is created through the mind mapping technique differs a lot from classical note taking methods.

People who learn very well visually will love mind mapping; people that do not learn visually tend to find mind maps a waste of time. What kind of learner are you?

Author : Gene Grzywacz

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=349818&ca=Education