REFLECTION ON MY TEACHING PRACTICES By:MUNIR MOOSA SEWANI <Send E-Mail> "Education should be considered not as a moulding of perfectly plastic

substances, nor as a filling of empty minds, nor as a creation of powers, but rather as the provision of opportunity for healthy bodily and mental life." I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do every thing, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do every thing, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. Reflecting upon my teaching always provides us many dimensions of learning. It helps a teacher to improve and overcome my weaknesses. When I entered the field of teaching, I was an amateur. I had many questions in mind: will the students accept me? Am I really creative enough to bring about changes in teaching profession? For a couple of months, I was in denial- I did not accept criticism, and thought myself as a best teacher! But I wasnt. I learnt gradually that without reflecting on teaching practices, it wouldnt have been possible to improve. As time passed, I started reflecting upon my teaching. This was actually a transformation process and taught me how to be a reflective teacher. During eight years of secular and religious teaching, I came across many challenges. I accepted these and theyve served as a real evaluation tool for analyzing my teaching growth. Here Im sharing two students examples, whose life was changed because of my little effort. On the first day of my teaching at Religious Centre to class 1, I came across a slow learner child. While I was teaching, he distracted the attention of the others. He started patting book on others. When I asked questions, he was blank. For few days, I avoided him. The more I avoided, the more he misbehaved. I talked to incharge to call his parents. When his parents told me that he was a slow learner, I felt shamed how I ignored him on the basis of his behavior. That event changed my life. At that time, I decided to carry on learning about his problem. I read books and developed different activities and designed easy lessons. I also gave him extra time. I used activity based methods of teaching. At the end of a year, he was able to learn few things. The head decided to fail him. Being a responsible teacher, I decided that rather than de-motivating, we should appreciate him for learning something. He was shifted to class two. After few years of repetition, he was promoted to class three, where fortunately, I was given a chance to be his teacher again. His mother was guided by the Head to send him to Special School. Being a responsible teacher, I denied and took his Adaptive Behavior Skill testing, which I learnt during my Master Trainer in special education, and identified him as a slow learner not a disabled child.

During class 3, I involved him more in class activities. He was allowed to sit where ever he wanted to sit in class. I also taught him basic skills. His parents were happy with my efforts. At the end of year, he learnt few things. But again, his gradual learning and improvement in behavior was an achievement. While teaching him, I observed his interest in graphics, so I told his parents about it. Ive wherever possible raised my voice to keep him in the centre and continue to learn. I feel its important to cater such children. For there will be many more like him wholl need the attention of the teacher and the Centre. We as a team can make a difference in their lives. This is something which hopefully will be understood in years to come with more awareness of children with special needs. The tool of appreciation and extra attention brought change in his life. Today, Im happy that although hes studying gradually, but working as a graphic helper with his dad too. I believe that every child can learn, regardless of their abilities/disabilities. Accepting challenges and demonstrating confidence to bring change is the sign of a reflective practitioner. A child may be aggressive to his teacher or to his classmates. Such behavior may be due to his not receiving due attention at home. When he comes to find a free life at school, he behaves like an animal released from a chain. I also dealt with an aggressive student. He had an arrogant attitude. Once, I gave him a sheet of paper to draw picture; he tore the paper and told that he wasnt a kid. Many times, I discouraged him; even he wanted to share anything. Once I taught students that no one can become master of all. He told me that hes a master. I calmly denied his sayings. On the next day, he brought a chair made of old wooden box. I was sure he hadnt made it. But when he told me the steps, I was astounded. It was my mistake to demotivate him. I wouldve encouraged him rather than discouraging. I realized that if we are to criticize, it should be done constructively. We should appreciate children to share rather than taping their lips. Children are like a pot of flowers. If you'll give them proper attention, they'll grow up properly; but if you'll give them lack of attention or extreme care, theyll be destroyed. Being a reflective teacher, I decided to know the real cause behind his aggressiveness. I met his parents and learnt that they hadnt much time due to work. I counseled and told them the reason behind his child aggressiveness. They realized it. This time, I tried a tool of encouragement. I asked for friendship. He taught all the students making different things. Whenever, he brought any thing, I

appreciated him. Gradually I learnt about his talents of music, painting, etc. Currently, hes in grade 7. His vision is to be a scientist. Just a little appreciation and parent counseling brought change in him. Today, he proved to be a brilliant gem. Today, Im happy to call myself a reflective teacher, whose objective is to mould children ethically; to nurture them; to explore their creativity and to cater the needs of children with special needs. It is a request to all the teachers to reflect back on their teaching practices as well, in order to bring change in the lives of their students, while improving themselves too. Munir Moosa Sewani is one of the most famous, prominent and creative names in the field of Education in the past 8 years. He is a Master Trainer In Special Education, Post Graduate, Teacher Educator and a Teacher. He is an author of the famous self-published storybook for children named as "The MORAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN" and has also written Biology course book for Secondary Classes. He has written almost more than 50 articles internationally on many websites and numerous newsletters dealing with social, health, educational and cultural issues, which are internationally recognized and published in most of the famous world wide websites, magazines and newspapers. He is also a Social worker, private tutor, career counselor, musician, lyrics writer and have multi- dimensional talents. His future plan is to write dozens of informative books and articles and to work for education and media also, in order to develop the sense of understanding many dimensions of life through his creativity.

Teaching: A Challenging and Reflective Profession By:Salima Moosa Sewani <Send E-Mail> Teaching is a profession of learning and growing intellectually. The learning of a teacher only takes place when s/he agrees to bring changes and to accept criticism from others. When I started teaching, with time I understood that I had many flaws, which I accepted whole heartedly. I was a person who always looks for improvement. Gradually I realized that I became a better teacher, and that happened because of taking feedback from others and by being conscious of the effectiveness of my teaching style and strategies. During my vast teaching experience, I always followed this quote, To reach the highest, always start with the lowest.

I followed this from the issue of curriculum to the issue of lesson planning; from the identification of children with learning problems to the issues related to teachers demotivation; I came across many challenges. After the completion of my Montessori training dated back in 2001, I joined the Progressive Public School for teaching practicum. There, I came across one challenging student. On the last month of my teaching practice, one disturbed child entered my class. Within no time, he started a tantrum, shouting in the class. He was moving like a pendulum without any fear of a teachers presence. When I tried to make him sit, he hit me and spat on me. When I gave him an activity to paste a picture, he tore his own and others' activity sheets. The whole class was distracted due to his aggressive behavior. I was very confused as to what to do and how to control his behavior. I scolded him, but that didnt work. Maybe my strategy to deal with him was wrong. I used many techniques to tackle him, but he didnt respond to any strategies. I detected few of his problems which helped me to categorize the major solution of problems. First was his lack of understanding level. He was never able to follow the instruction given by me. The second problem was his chronological age. The average age of the class was 4 to 5 , but he was 10 years old. It showed that the normal milestone progression of his development was delayed. The third problem was his learning capacity, which was almost zero as compared to the other children learning, which was at average. The fourth main problem was his hyper activity. He didnt sit on his seat. I tried to make him sit beside me by holding his hands, but all the time, he broke his arm free and ran away from class. I used to chase him, because he would often run all over the school and kick anyone who grasped him. After a week, there were no changes felt by me and my efforts ended in smoke. I tried to explain this to my headmistress, but she didnt accept my assertion and gave the same statement, "Its your duty to manage him in class." At that time, I was working with Aga Khan Rehabilitation Centre. I had taken a few trainings of Inclusive Education, which helped me to identify that he had a behavior problem. I consulted his parents. Initially the mother didnt accept that her child had a behavior problem but after much convincing, the parents accepted that a child was hyperactive since childhood. The mother of the child was uneducated and father was busy in his big business - thats why they never initiated to consult a psychologist to modify his behavior. Behavior problems (and what is normal behavior) in a child is determined by the childs age, physical and emotional development, personality and what is socially and culturally acceptable in his or her surroundings. I came to know that this was his fourth school and the previous schools expelled him due to his behavior problem, from which his development was delayed. Afterwards, I talked to the headmistress and discussed the whole scenario. She agreed and allowed me to begin parents' counseling. Being a

reflective practitioner, I encouraged his parents to send him to any other school where he could learn and adjust in a proper environment. There were some schools in Karachi which were catering such children. His parents agreed. I was fortunate that my decision was right! Today, hes studying in a normal school. If I wouldnt have sent him to the relevant school, he might have lost his years without learning anything. The second issue, which I would like to raise, is the many challenges that teachers face. During my teaching practicum for STEP, I decided to teach class seven. I saw the lesson plans and the files of the preceding year. I saw that there was no proper lesson planning being done by the teachers. The teachers told me that they used to teach students from the curriculum book rather than initiating any proper planning. The teacher is the good leader of the class and future generation. The teacher has to play a variety of roles which will assist to growth and development of student personalities Then I asked the previous students and took their feedback which gave me an idea that there were no activities for any lesson. The teacher taught in a theoretical way. No audio visual aids were being used. Being a reflective teacher, I worked a lot and developed few lesson plans according to their level and need. Teaching should be practical and revolutionary, so I used effective and innovative strategies in which students participated to the greatest extent possible. Everyday I energized my students by using different stories and activities. I used library books to integrate my lessons with the Quran, Ginan and Farman. The strategy to teach students with integrated activities worked well and they all showed a lot of interest and participated fully with enthusiasm. I am happy to adopt the teaching profession. It has given me a platform to learn a lot. I am trying my level best to fulfill the expectations of my students and to prepare them for the challenges, which will be faced by them in the future ahead. Salima Moosa Sewani has been in the field of teaching for 7 years. She is running her own Learning Center and also working with the Exceptional People. This is her first experience to share with the audience. She is a Master Trainer and has done many teaching certifications.

How to Help Your Children Succeed in School By:Barbara Freedman-De Vito Introduction

As a parent who wants the best for your children, there are undoubtedly many things that you already do every day to help your children succeed in school. The purpose of this article is to provide some practical ideas for you to try. Some of these suggestions may be new to you, many will be familiar, and some are just plain common sense but, hopefully, they will all serve as reminders of the many simple steps you can take that are too often taken for granted or forgotten about, due to the hectic pace of everyday living. Read to your kids, whatever their ages First of all, read to your children. We all know that this is important, but I'd like to point out that reading aloud should begin in infancy. It can contribute to your baby's developing attention span and receptive language skills. In addition, I'd like to encourage parents to read to growing children, even once they are able to read on their own. Don't stop once your kids are in elementary school for, whatever the status of their reading skills, hearing a good book read aloud is an experience apart. Being read to allows children to focus more on the descriptive passages and the action, rather than having to struggle with understanding every single word. It also allows them to hear great children's stories that are beyond their current reading level, and it's a wonderful way for a family to share a magical experience. Choose a children's book that can also be enjoyed by you as an adult, and have a family reading session each evening or each week. A classic children's story, such as "The Wind in the Willows," or the Harry Potter books might be perfect for your family, depending on the ages and interests of your children. Encourage independent reading and library use Offer quality children's literature to your growing children and encourage them to read on their own - at their own level and at their own pace. Fiction and nonfiction can both open up new worlds of knowledge and experience and help prepare kids for success in school and in adult life, and don't forget that online children's stories are an exciting new resource to add to your reading repertoire. Take your children to the local public library. Be sure that each member of the family has his or her own library card. Help your children see the public library not just as a place associated with homework and drudgery, but rather as an exciting doorway to interesting information and adventure. Encourage library book borrowing related to any special topic that interests your kids - from astronomy to adventure stories, from fact to fantasy. Get your kids to participate in some of the special free extra activities and programs that are regularly scheduled in many public libraries, like storyhours, craft projects, films, and summer reading clubs. Take your children to museums, concerts, puppet shows and the like. Expose them to

any forms of entertainment and cultural enrichment that you may be lucky enough to have access to. Develop effective research skills and good study habits Help your kids develop research skills that will serve them well, not only on school projects, but later in daily life as an adult. For instance, if you're planning a family trip, let the kids conduct library and Internet-based research on possible destinations, sites of interest, driving or flying routes, and how to dress appropriately for the climate of your destination spot. If you're thinking of buying a new car, let your kids take part in your consumer research, comparing different car models according to a variety of pertinent criteria. Nurture good study habits and self-discipline. Set aside a regular, daily study time for homework in a quiet, well-lit room. Be sure that your kids have a study environment that's sound physically, as well as conducive to mental concentration. A quiet room is important, but so too is good lighting, a chair that provides good back support and access to all the materials that your children need to complete projects. Supply them with pencils, erasers, rulers, and so forth. Encourage kids to keep their desk or other study area neat and well organized. This will prevent lots of time-wasting searches for materials and will really pay off as your children get older and their school assignments become more complex. Good organizational skills, which include the arrangement of physical objects, plus the logical structuring of the steps involved in completing any given project, can last a lifetime. Take an interest in your kids' day-to-day school life Take an interest in your children's school projects. Encourage them to show you reports they've written or pictures they've drawn. Make them see that you care about what they're doing and about how they're doing, but don't make them feel like they're constantly being monitored or judged. Don't add pressure, just give them plenty of support, encouragement and praise for jobs well done. Provide them with the resources they need (such as Internet access, library time, books and magazine articles) to do a good job on school assignments, but... resist the temptation to do the school projects for them. Take the same approach with everyday homework. If your child's having trouble with a math problem, review the rules, explain the procedures, and check the results, but don't just give a child the answers. The learning process is more important than a list of correct answers to hand in to the teacher. Go that extra mile

Among the most precious gifts that you can give to your children is your time. Put them first and make time for them. Build a happy, stable home environment, full of love and security, and you've already gone a long way towards helping your children thrive and succeed both in school and in life. Be involved in the big and the small events that make up their daily lives. Offer your support, encouragement, resources and love. Be there for them, no matter how busy your professional life is or whatever other commitments you have. Before you know it your children will be grown up and what they'll become depends largely on you. For their sake, as well as for your own, make the most of their childhood. There are no pearls of wisdom here, just a refresher course in things that we've all heard a million times, but don't always stop to take them to heart. They're so important that they deserve our attention, to periodically remind us of what really counts in life.

Teacher Training Schools

USA - Boca Raton, Florida By:Language Exchange International - TEFL Teacher Training Program Teaching language effectively is an art, and truly effective language teachers are rare. Language Exchange International's TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM offers exciting and innovative programs for the beginner as well as the experienced teacher for both native and non-native speakers. Teachers can add new sparkle to their classrooms as they motivate their students to learn! English as a Foreign Language teaching techniques are presented through the use of enjoyable and effective activities. Courses can be customized to suit personal needs for either groups or individuals. Accommodations can be arranged at a near-by local hotel either in town or on the beach (Florida campuses). Host family accommodations are also available. Certificates are awarded to all participants successfully completing the course. Program graduates receive regular updates in new and innovative teaching techniques and curriculum. They may also participate in our E-mail hotline at no additional charge. Hands-on teaching and the natural approach to second language acquisition is the methodology used at Language Exchange International. It is the same methodology that has helped our school gain its outstanding reputation for

the past 18 years. Focus is upon teaching the application of the newly acquired language rather than merely learning about it. Role playing and group interaction help make the process as enjoyable as it is practical. Included in the Program: Needs analysis; cultural awareness and sensitivity; motivating the student; teaching creatively; the multi-level classroom; lesson plan development; testing and evaluation; drilling techniques; familiarization with teaching materials; classroom observation; teaching internship; brainstorming sessions; special focus on listening, speaking, reading and writing; teaching TOEFL and Business English; testing and evaluation of teacher trainees; presentation of certificates; teaching hot-line; updates in teaching methodology and materials. A word about Language Exchange International . . . Language Exchange International was founded in 1983 in order to provide language training for adults who were looking for a painless but effective way to quickly acquire a second or third language. We now offer courses in more than 30 foreign languages as well as a year round intensive ESOL program for international students and executives. During the past 21 years, we have enjoyed an out-standing reputation in our field based on our unique conversational approach to language teaching. The methodology we use is based upon one developed by Connie Paladino, the school's president and founder, during her 25 years of experience in the field of language instruction. All of our programs are customized to meet the needs of our clients. We are nationally accredited with The Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) which is recognized by the United States Department of Education and we were named by the London Travel Magazine as one of the top 20 language schools in the United States. Included in the TEFL Teaching Training Program: Needs analysis Dynamic teaching techniques Motivating the student Teaching creatively The multilevel classroom Lesson plan and curriculum development Effective testing and evaluation Classroom observation Teaching internship Familiarization with up to date teaching materials Cultural awareness and sensitivity Focusing on listening, speaking, reading and writing The Rassias drilling technique Teaching TOEFL and Business English Brainstorming sessions with colleagues Testing and evaluation of trainees

Presentation of certificates Regular updates in new materials and teaching techniques Teaching hotline And more!