This summer TRA staff continued to gain new skills and insights as they participated in training workshops given by Curriculum Development Specialist Linda Donoian.

 
Creative Lesson Plans: Games and Activities.

The first of three July meetings focused on designing creative lesson plans using games and other activities. Used in a meaningful way and relating to the lesson’s objective, she noted, games and activities can be valuable within a lesson as practice or as part of the evaluation.

She encouraged teachers to be imaginative, even taking a familiar game and playing it in a different way, such as Taboo and Scattergories. They discussed playing bingo, the Alphabet Game, and Can You Hear Me Now?, games available at Puzzlemaker.com, online Scrabble and computer games such as RollerCoaster Tycoon. They also considered the various uses of role playing for topics including job searching and problem solving.

The teachers then enjoyed working in groups to develop creative games and activities for selected topics and presenting their games to the class.
 

Data Entry: Skill Building and Applications

In the next workshop, participants discussed the new data entry program, working with a variety of hands-on computer activities.

The program allows students to learn data entry essentials, including terminology and software applications. In a series of routines, they build speed and accuracy with data and text.  Then they use their skills in real life projects for a mail-order clothing catalog company, an automobile insurance company, a hotel and a big city hospital.
 

Varying Teaching Methodologies: One-on-One, Independent Work and Grouping

The last July class focused on varying teaching methodologies. Participants discussed the advantages, disadvantages and uses of whole group, small, independent and one-on-one work. They also learned how scheduling different methodologies in a balanced way each day helps prevent boredom.  They discussed the use of teamwork in the classroom and ways to place students with other students as helpers. Teachers were encouraged to experiment, evaluate the results and adjust accordingly.

Linda presented a number of ice breaker activities to help create a relaxed, productive atmosphere. These included: student search, student Venn diagrams, Who Am I?, crazy introductions, Fire and Truth or Pretend.

She said teachers should move around during independent work and tests, speaking with students one-on-one. Ideally instructors should spend some time each day one-on-one with each student for instruction, evaluation or discussion of questions or concerns.  This tells the student they are important and what they are doing in class is valuable.

Teaching the Ex-offender Population

Teachers said they found the first August workshop – Teaching the Ex-offender Population - particularly valuable. They discussed statistics and considerations regarding the ex-offender population.

They also reviewed resources in the new Ex-Offender Library Kit: Quick Job Search for Ex-Offenders; The Ex-Offenders’ Job Hunting Guide; The Ex-Offenders’ Quick Job Hunting Guide; Overcoming Barriers to Employment; Job Hunting Tips for People with Hot and Not-So-Hot Backgrounds; Resume, Application, and Letter Tips for People with Hot and Not-So-Hot Backgrounds; and No One Will Hire Me!

            Conflict Resolution and Classroom Management

Teachers discussed classroom management as a preventative measure in avoiding conflicts that arise from unmet behavior expectations.

“Always have your rules posted,” Linda told the teachers, adding that they should discuss them from the first day, setting the classroom tone.

In a group exercise, participants formulated their top three classroom rules. The word “respect” topped both group lists. They were told to consider room set up, age, ethnicity, the personality of the class and program policies when establishing guidelines.

They discussed sources of conflict, signs of an impending crisis and ways to handle a variety of classroom situations. These included refocusing a student by name and intervening in a brewing situation. They also role played conflict resolution scenarios, including site plans, mediation and writing narratives.

Mavis Beacon

During the final training teachers discussed the updated Mavis Beacon keyboarding program and did many hands-on exercises. This latest version features a lesson dashboard showing guide hands, words per minute/keys per minute gauge, percent complete meter, time remaining clock and skill level meter.

The program offers several display options and generates summary, keyboard proficiencies, curriculum map and progress over time reports. It provides transcription and dictation practice, along with 16 games to help build speed, accuracy, rhythm and endurance.