Thomas Education

The faculty attitude to assignment deadlines:  Let's discuss this at faculty meeting! We make homework assignments in order to     ⁃    extend learning a topic already covered     ⁃    reinforce learning a topic currently discussed     ⁃    prepare for a specific performance task as a group (discussion, recitation, lab, etc)     ⁃    provide differentiation, so all students can learn more material (if some cannot finish within classtime limits, then finish at home)     ⁃    cover basic principles in advance (flipped classroom), so that classtime can be spent on questions and coaching     ⁃    accomplish a capstone project that represents culmination of the course learning goals We set deadlines for assignments in order to:     •    emulate adult life, prepare them for adult l...

Presenting Problem: some students do not complete assignments on time.  We want them to complete the assignments as soon as possible. Another related issue is that of providing ever-more-accurate and timely feedback on student performance. Let’s focus first on simply Missing assignments: Let’s define them as Assignments not received by the previously-specified due-date. The assignments and their due-dates were duly registered in Renweb. The teacher has marked the assignments in the (Renweb) gradebook with a grade of “M”.  (In the case of a Moodle assignment, the moodle-interface will not automatically place any letter, but it will automatically update the cell when the teacher marks a numeric grade on that student’s assignment record. ) What can we do to reduce the number of missing assignments; to get students to complete work on time? Our goal is of course for all students to do all work on time, to the best of their abilities.  In truth, most teachers regularly experi...

A good organization’s e-mail system has a directory readily available to staff, preferably also other stakeholders as well.  A staff member should be able to type the first few characters of a name in the addressline and either offer a list of matching names or actually complete the name and e-mailaddress; or press a readily-available Contacts button that would do the same.   I should be able to search via either firstname or lastname.   The organization’s e-mail addresses all follow the same naming pattern, so that if the directory search is not available, I can deduce the name by following a logical pattern such as firstname.lastname@ Even when switching to a new naming standard, if old staff insist on keeping old addresses, add new addresses that fit the new standard, and move mailbox to the new name (and auto-forward mail sent to the old address).   Mixed standards ensure confusion. Documentation is double-checked for correctness.  Trip...

Tips: Before going to Korea: Get google-voice number, and Vonage/Magic-jack phone: Obitalk.com Take US cell phone?  probably, if it’s unlocked and recent.  Probably not, if it’s old.  US service will work, though expensive.   Barb’s sister gave us a cheap phone on her plan, which we keep as emergency.  However, Korea phone service, cable, wi-fi is a bit cheaper than US; and our school gets package deal with KT.  Newer US phones probably can convert to KT service. Electronics: voltage=220, plugs are round.  Take 1 or 2 plug adaptors.  Most electronic equipment is multi-voltage, but not all:  check it, and try not to take 110volt-only items.  Can get plug adaptors in most hardware stores.  School typically supplies 1 transformer per house.  School provides MacBook to each teacher, so you probably do not need to bring your own laptop, unless you prefer not to carry back and forth. Things to bring: whatever ...

As we prepare for service trips, I compiled a list of tasks that a typical school group should include.  Giving each participant a definite role in the group evens out the load and helps the students learn organization principles and responsibility.  It can be very helpful in case of emergency or problem situations; but it also takes more investment in preparation and requires accountability to keep it going -- further, it confirms the educational nature of the trip, as it is not just a casual holiday. Group leader:  the face of our group, meets with corresponding leaders, accepts awards, speaks for the group, calls meetings to order Assistant leader:  backup, when leader is not available. Attendance:  are we all here?  Where is Zoey?  where is Mr.B ? Backup attendance person Accountant/Treasurer: simply keep track of group spending, request and store receipts, disburse money.  (Be sure to take extra envelopes to store receipts, a...

My overall statement about the goals of my literature courses, at all levels of high school: Through our program, students learn to appreciate and analyze a wide range of texts, exploring the different ways the human condition is expressed across time and culture. YISS students seek to demonstrate excellence in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in order to evaluate information, listen actively, communicate responsibly, and inform and articulate their worldview. Through the tools of language, YISS students are empowered to form and communicate their identities and utilize the gifts that God has given them.

I have 8 0 World Literature students.    If I assign a 3-page essay, how much time should I spend reading and marking and scoring each essay?   10 minutes each (on average, plus typical paper-shuffling or computer startup time) totals 6 hours.   My instructional time with those same students (again, given typical attendance administrative settling down time; and including occasional summative assessments) is 3.5 hours per week.   In my conversations with several different principals on this topic, all have cannily refused to even mention an expected number. When I am scoring an essay, one of the big psychological hurdles is getting past any misspellings or minor grammar errors.   My reader-brain finds it hard to avoid marking those errors, or to avoid reducing some related score because of those errors.  A computer can catch many of those minor spelling, punctuation, word-choice, usage errors (note: the computer does not corr...