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Sunday, March 23, 2008

60

Support Social and Emotional Development - Through Play!




In our fast-paced society, playtime can seem like a thing of the past – even a waste of time. Days are often hectic, and it's all too easy to push back children's requests for to play with them until "later." But, especially for parents with preschool-aged children, time spent playing with them can be one of the best investments made in their educational future.

Increasingly, a child's social and emotional development is being recognized as not only an indicator of school readiness, but as an actual predictor of school success down the road. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), "Across a range of studies, the emotional, social, and behavioral competence of young children…predict their academic performance in first grade, over and above their cognitive skills and family backgrounds"

One of the easiest ways parents can help their children develop socially and emotionally is by the simple act of playing with them. "When parents take the time and make the effort to play games with their children, this gives the children a sense that they are important in their parents' lives and that the parents really care about them,” says David Elkind, author of The Power of Play. “This is the basis of solid self esteem."

According to Elkind, time spent playing is directly related to school success. "All of this game playing and social learning makes it easier for children to learn in a school setting where they are interacting with adults and have the basic social skills that are the basis for formal learning,” he says. “These are the ability to listen to an adult and to follow instructions, to start a task and bring it to completion on their own, and to work cooperatively with other children."

As Elkind also points out, children learn a tremendous amount as they play: not only does parent-child playtime strengthen familial bonds, it also gives children a chance to learn about more subtle social nuances, like body language and vocal intonations.

Megan Newcomb, an Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE) teacher who has taught preschool for 10 years, agrees. "When children have plenty of interaction with adults and other kids, there's no anxiety there; it's really a preparation for school. I can really see a difference in terms of confidence and self-esteem when they get to kindergarten."

Are you stuck for some fun, interactive games to play with your kids? Here are a few tested and kid-approved ideas:

Sing and dance. Turn on some upbeat music and dance together, sing together and play musical games like "ring around the rosy." Besides being great exercise, this develops musical rhythm, coordination and motor skills.
Put on a puppet show: Puppets are easily made by decorating socks or paper bags. Let kids make their own puppets and watch the story line evolve. This is a fun activity that develops creativity and imagination as children make up stories and put on their first performances.
Make 'shape' pictures: Cut some paper into basic shapes of various sizes – circles, squares, rectangles, triangles and ovals – and then make pictures using the shapes. For example, a rabbit can be made by gluing small 'ear,' 'leg', and 'tail' circles onto an oval 'body'. Talk about the characteristics of the shapes – "the square has four sides" - and see if your child can identify them. This is a fun and effective way to work on basic geometry skills.
'Safe Base' Tag: One person is "it" and tries to tag the others, with a designated 'base' (like the fireplace hearth) being the only refuge. Indoors or outdoors, preschoolers love this game with its simple rules and the chance to burn plenty of energy. And in the process they learn about turn-taking and following rules.
While playing, parents also have the chance to observe any trouble spots in their child's development or behavior that may need extra help or guidance - like bossiness or a reluctance to clean up – and to model positive behaviors, like how to respond appropriately to 'winning' or 'losing.'

So don't feel guilty about setting aside time to really play with the kids – it's one of the best – and most enjoyable – ways to help them grow!

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59

Can Music Help Your Child Learn?



Can popping a classical music CD into the player after nap time help Johnnie breeze through his homework? Will Lizzie's piano lessons help her get an A in math?

Research on the effects of music on learning has been in progress for decades. When research on the Mozart Effect - the theory that listening to Mozart's music can temporarily improve performance, and perhaps even IQ - became popularized in the late 1950s, parents everywhere began to try and expose their children to more classical music. The theory became so popular that Georgia's governor even proposed a budget allowing for every baby born in Georgia to receive a classical music CD. Do Georgia's children now have IQs that surpass the national average? Can Mozart really make our children smarter?

As with most theories, critics' verdicts on the Mozart Effect have been controversial. But what is not generally controversial though, and is supported by a strong body of evidence, is the fact that ongoing music education does help children across a wide range of criteria - including overall academic performance. A Canadian research group from McMaster University compared two groups of six children between the ages of 4 and 6; one group took Suzuki music lessons and the other had no musical instruction. The results, which were published in the online journal Brain on September 20, 2006, showed that the children who received musical instruction excelled above their peers in memory skills as well as 'non-musical' abilities such as literacy, mathematics and even IQ.

Brigid Finucane, an Early Childhood Music Instructor at the Merit School of Music in Chicago, has witnessed the positive effects of music instruction first-hand. "Formal music instruction requires focus, discipline and determination – excellent qualities which are often transferred into other areas of the student's life,” she says. “Beat and rhythms are key components in music. Children who can maintain a steady beat have a greater fluency in their reading. The music we sing provides vocabulary enrichment, teaches tenses and plurals, uses poetic language, allows visualization, and encourages good pronunciation. Through music we learn about ourselves, our culture and that of others, science and math, creativity, jobs, the environment, celebration and emotions."

Scott Cross, the Educator Development Manager for Kindermusik International, also believes that the non-musical benefits of music classes spill over into academic achievement. "Kindermusik [classes help] toddlers as music is used to help them understand concepts like high and low, fast and slow, and start and stop. Reading music notes from left to right reinforces their learning of reading words from left to right in a book. Counting out music (1, 2, 3, 4) and keeping a steady beat reinforces the role of numbers and helps a child better understand their first math concepts."

The benefits of music instruction are not limited to the early years. According to the National Association for Music Education, SAT takers with a background involving musical instruction score significantly higher than their non-musically trained counterparts – a surprising 56 points higher on the verbal portion and 39 points higher on the math portion of the test. Other advocates of music instruction also cite numerous non-musical benefits including the building of greater self-esteem, concentration and coordination. And the longer music instruction lasts, the greater the benefits.

As Finucane puts it, "Teachers at the sites I work at related many stories to me about how the children have progressed more deeply because of having music in the curriculum. Besides all the academic benefits, singing, dancing and moving together can bring great joy."

Make room, math and science - perhaps it's time music finds its place as part of the core curriculum!

Want more information about children's music programs? Check out:

www.Kindermusik.com

The National Association for Music Education

www.childrensmusicworkshop.com

The Children's Music Network

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58

Beyond Books: Getting the Most Out of Your Local Library


As a child, it was both exciting and empowering to have your very own library card. All those books at your disposal and you could check out as many at a time as you wanted! According to several surveys analyzed by the American Library Association(ALA), there are an estimated 117,378 libraries of all kinds in the United States today, and 16,549 of them are public libraries. That’s a lot of books.

As adults, we now understand that a library card is more than a plastic pass to unlimited reading. Libraries offer so much more than tomes on shelves. And just how much more is pleasantly surprising. While it varies from library to library, most public libraries in the country offer an array of materials and programs for all ages. Some offer adult poetry and book clubs, author events, guest speakers, literacy programs for adults, children and parenting workshops, as well as traditional story times. For example, in addition to typical library program offerings, Peter White Library in Marquette, MI, offers a passport application service, a genealogy and local history resource for Michigan, and a helpful Ask-a-Librarian direct email to field questions.

Although you may have easy access to on-line information, don’t hesitate to contact your librarian with questions. Librarians are more than just masters of the Dewey Decimal System. Most librarians have a four-year undergraduate degree and a masters in Library Science, or Information Science, as it is now more commonly called. Librarians often bring database or cross-technology backgrounds into their multi-disciplinary work. Public librarians have an interest in just about everything because they must be able to tap into topics that vary across the board, for all kinds of people. “Never knowing what the next question might cover keeps us excited as we work to connect people with information, materials, programs and resources throughout the community and the world,” says Bobbi Weesen-Baer, Children’s Librarian at Mountain View Public Library in Mountain View, CA.

The Mountain View Public Library hosts workshops and summer reading programs which feature storytelling, music, magicians and wild animals. They offer Montessori-based twos, threes and fours programs, and family story-times in English, Spanish and Mandarin. They are a resource for teachers and schools, providing information on literacy and child development. You can do research using online databases and reserve titles from home to save time. Not all libraries can afford to offer such in-depth service, but Weesen-Baer encourages people to “go in and get to know your library staff, find out what your library has to offer.” She adds, “In these mobile times, public libraries are a good starting place for getting to know a new community or for making friends. If you are a student or parent, adding a librarian as a resource strengthens your education team. Call or stop by, bring us your questions and suggestions. We’re here to help.”

Take a trip to your library. Discover what programs your library offers. You’re likely to find that your local librarian is more than happy to help you. A library is one of the few free resources in today’s pay-as-you-go world. Their mantra is to serve the unserved and underserved -- and that means they’ll meet you wherever you are on your quest for knowledge.

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57

Join the World's Biggest Reading Party!



Serena Williams did it. So did football superstar Tiki Barber and Oscar winners Gwyneth Paltrow and Morgan Freeman. Since the National Education Association (NEA) launched Read Across America in 1997, some pretty famous people have cracked open a book for a cause: the world’s biggest reading party. On March 3rd, your kids can join them!

Learning to read is a rite of passage for kids. But it’s a challenge for almost 40% of them, according to the NEA. That’s why they decided to use Dr. Seuss’s birthday as an excuse to give books a little sizzle. Across the nation, more than 45 million people are expected to take part in the celebration. The mission: make reading fun. Really fun.

Teachers, principals, parents, and librarians are doing some crazy things to get kids excited about reading—from eating fried worms, to parachuting out of airplanes to congratulate a group of kids who completed a reading challenge. They’ve kissed yaks, canonballed into gigantic vats of green jello, and velcroed themselves to gym walls. Seattle’s Pike Place fishmongers painted their daily catch red, blue, and yellow after the Seuss classic One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. 106 meteorologists traded in their weather hats for “reading hats”.

Why all the fuss? Well for one, kids who read for fun, do better in school and better on standardized tests, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the nation’s report card. Reading often and early to young children also affects their ability to count and write their names. But more than that, reading is just plain magic. “When children open the pages of a good book, reading can ignite their imaginations,” says NEA President Reg Weaver.

With so many entertainment choices at their fingertips, kids don’t always think to crack open a book. The point of Read Across America, is to urge them to consider it. “Although children have many distractions like TV, video games and high-tech gadgets, nothing rivals the power of reading the written word,” says Weaver. “The challenge is cutting through the competitive clutter to get children energized about reading.”

On March 3rd, there will be teachers cooking up plates of green eggs and ham, principals duct-taped to a wall, traveling Cat-a-Vans zooming across the country on a 1,200 mile, 18-city tour, books in hand. (12,000 of them!) There will be “Read Across Spring Training”, designed to bring books to ballparks, with Major League baseball stars hosting read-ins for local kids—from Baltimore’s Orioles to LA’s Dodgers.

So get thee to a library! And figure out your own way to make reading come alive. Not just on March 3rd, but every day.

Click here to jump to our "Learning to Read" area:
www.education.com/reference/learningread/

Or find great books for every grade level, by jumping from the homepage, to our cheat sheets for each grade: www.education.com

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56

Beyond AYP: Evaluating Your Child's School



When you imagine the ideal classroom, you probably see sun streams through large windows, lighting up the kids sitting at tables, busy illustrating story books that they created. The classroom hums, and a teacher moves from one raised hand to the next. But though you know the class you want for your child, quality is subjective, even in an era of school accountability.

"No Child Left Behind doesn’t evaluate the quality of schools,” argues William Mathis, Superintendent of the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union in Brandon, VT, instead, “it evaluates the socio-economic status of schools.” Mathis and others in the field of education say that Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the No Child Left Behind marker of a school’s success based on student test scores, isn’t a mark of school quality. “Tests are an easy way to evaluate anything,” says Teri Battaglieri, Director of the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice, in East Lansing, MI, “but there are a lot of problems with high-stakes testing.” Some of those problems include the fact that test scores are absolute, they don’t measure growth, and there are a lot of outside factors that affect test scores. High test achievement doesn’t always indicate quality, says Barbara Radner, executive director for the Center for Urban Education at DePaul University, “because there is such a correlation between income level and achievement.”

Even if No Child Left Behind doesn’t provide all the answers, however, it does provide a place to start, as you decide where your child should be when the first bell rings.

Get the Data

Learn the basics about your child’s school at the National Center for Education Statistics with the school search tool for basic demographics or the Public School Search feature that includes student-to-teacher ratios and enrollment by grade, gender, and race.

School Data Direct from the U.S. Department of Education searches school testing data and compares individual schools with district and state test averages. Or, use our School Finder to search schools for Adequate Yearly Progress, teacher credentials, and school ratings on everything from curriculum and facilities to accommodation of special needs and gifted students.

These sites will give you an overview of the hard data. They won’t answer questions about whether or not the school fits your child. For those answers, it’s time for a school visit.

The School Visit

The Office. Your first impression of a school should be one of orderliness and organization. Ask for information about school policy and procedures.
School Environment. “A more stable school environment is better for kids,” says Battaglieri, “if teachers are transferring regularly, there’s a problem.” However, if there’s a new principal, some turnover might be a good thing, says Radner, if they’re shaking things up.
The Classroom. Classrooms should be welcoming and organized, with student work, not prefab posters, on display. When it comes to class size, there’s no magic number, but smaller is better.
Student Assessment. Tests shouldn’t be the only way that the teachers measure student success, look for student portfolios and teacher evaluations as well. If a school’s test scores are high, delve deeper. What is that school doing to keep the scores high?
Extracurriculars. “A focus on the arts is very good in terms of reading comprehension,” says Battaglieri. Make sure that they offer lots of extracurricular classes that fit your child’s interests.
Individual Instruction. Information about programs for kids with special needs, or who are gifted, will give you an idea of how well the school meets individual student needs.
Teacher Quality.“The classroom teacher is the absolute determinant of what happens for your kids in a year,” says Radner. How does the school handle professional development for teachers? And are any of their teachers National Board Certified? If they do have certified teachers, says Radner, “it shows that the school is attracting and keeping good teachers.”
Regardless of test scores and board certification, the number one way to determine whether a school will work for your child is how you feel when you visit. Think back to when you were a student: would you want to go to school here?

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55

Does NCLB Hurt Gifted Kids?



For many educators, No Child Left Behind represents a fundamental dividing line in time. As recently as a decade ago, individual school districts had more or less final say on curriculum, and teachers could approach it in a wide spectrum of ways. Some states, such as New York, did offer some standardized courses approved by the Board of Regents, but these were aimed at high school alone. None of it approached the scope of NCLB.

Today, the federal government contributes approximately 9% of public education funding, and the money comes with stringent requirements. All curriculum must align with state standards, all students K-12 are tested every year on statewide tests, and entire schools face consequences if they don’t improve on target.

And what does this mean for kids? Six years into No Child Left Behind, Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education, is feeling good. “NCLB changed the education game in this nation,” she recently testified, “and we can be proud of where it has brought us.”

But not everyone agrees. While NCLB may have helped some kids reach “proficiency,” critics believe that the law’s emphasis on skills, standards and test scores may have a serious downside, especially for gifted children. Over four decades in education, Dr. Joseph Renzulli, Ph.D., Director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, has seen special initiatives come and go. What has not changed, he has found, is gifted kids’ need for sophisticated intellectual challenge and enrichment.

Gifted kids, he explains, think in highly complex, creative and analytic ways. In order to nurture them, trained educators must “provide them opportunites, resources, and encouragement within their areas of interest.” A child gifted in physical science, for example, will wilt if the entire curriculum is a list of facts to “master,” but will come alive—and perhaps become one of America’s great inventors—if offered a chance, for example, to apply key concepts to the creation of a robotic device, create it in a real lab and be critiqued by a real scientist. Such educational experiences will be pivotal for a gifted child—but, sadly, irrelevant to many state exams.

In fact, says Renzulli, “We put far too much emphasis on test scores.” And with NCLB, he says, “we’re holding a gun to teachers’ and principals’ heads. There’s an old saying: ‘What gets tested, gets taught.’ So we’ve saddled the schools with endless drill and kill…and these kids aren’t being challenged and haven’t been able to grow.”

Advocates for the gifted and talented point to recent research by Drs. Derek Neal and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach of the University of Chicago, which found that while NCLB did seem to improve the performance of children already near proficiency, “these same systems provide weak incentives to devote extra attention to students who are clearly proficient already.”

For officials at NCLB, however, these arguments pale beside the overwhelming benefits of the program. Casey Ruberg, spokesperson for NCLB, points out, for instance, that “”since the passage of No Child Left Behind, the top 10% of students have continued to perform well in reading and have shown significant increases in math achievement on the Nation’s Report Card….[2007] Math scores for 4th and 8th graders were higher than they’ve ever been in the history of the Nation’s Report Card.” And for those kids looking for even more challenge? States still control 91% of school budgets, and, says Ruberg, they can still exercise creative approaches. But federal officials are doing their part too. “We have proposed expanding access to advanced placement programs," she says. "More teachers will be trained to lead Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes.”

So what does this mean for your child? With NCLB now firmly established, it’s more important than ever to stay in touch with your teachers, your child, and your school. In practice, schools are working hard to balance kids’ individual needs and learning styles with the civic responsibility to help all of them meet standards. Many state teaching licenses now offer special credentials in gifted and talented education, and institutes like Renzulli’s National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented have published supplemental curriculum available on the Web. In fact, as Renzulli himself says, “There is no quick and easy answer….In life, we can’t always have everything the way we want it, and sometimes kids must do some things they hate because they know there’s other material they just love and that will keep them engaged in school.” Working together, parents and teachers can, with luck and skill, find that balance.

Do you have something to say about this topic? Do you have a question? Click here to spark some conversation. Start a discussion

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54

Factoring in the Achievement Gap


Why do certain students struggle at school? The question isn't new, but it seems like the answers are always changing: lack of motivation, poor preparation, low expectations, and teacher quality have all caught some heat for low-achievement in schools. But what if there were factors outside the school that contributed to a lag in learning so severe that some students could never hope to catch up? According to a new study by the Educational Testing Service (E.T.S.), underachievement in school, and particularly the so-called “achievement gap,” could have more to do with what happens on the home front than anything that goes on within school walls.

The study took four factors that are completely out of the control of schools, and found a staggering correlation between them and school performance. Those factors were:

The percentage of children living with only one parent
The percentage of eighth graders absent from school at least three times a month
The percentage of children age 5 or younger whose parents read to them daily
The percentage of eighth graders who watch five or more hours of television daily
Using these factors alone, researchers were able to forecast student performance in school with surprising accuracy. “We were able to quite closely predict state reading scores based on these factors,” says Richard Coley, director of policy information at E.T.S and co-author of the report. That means that external elements like TV time, family structure, school absence, and preschool story-time may have more of an effect on long-term student achievement than classroom instruction, test preparation, class size, and other in-school factors.

But before you rush to switch off the TV and mend fences with your ex, keep in mind that these four factors are part of a larger phenomenon plaguing the education system. This would be the so-called achievement gap, an academic disparity between students of different socio-economic backgrounds that can sometimes prove insurmountable. “Poor students as a group start out with a disadvantage over students from more affluent families because they come to school less well prepared,” says Jack Jennings, President of the Center on Education Policy. The four factors used by E.T.S. researchers are all tied to the problems faced by lower-income families. For example, because parents may need to work longer hours, parent-child interaction goes down and TV time goes up. And these circumstances can make a big difference down the road. “Studies have shown that students from different economic backgrounds advance at the same rate during schooling, but poorer students as a group never overcome their initial disadvantage,” says Jennings.

“Children are starting out from very different platforms,” agrees Coley, “and teachers don't have a magic wand to make all those platforms equal.” He points out that with academic buzzwords like standards and accountability flying around, it's easy to lose track of the simple fact that kids are starting kindergarten with a serious handicap that they may never overcome. Says Coley: “If we were really serious about closing the achievement gap and raising the academic levels for all kids, we would start paying as much attention to the starting line as we are to the finish line.”

But the good news is that it doesn't take much to get your child headed in the right direction. So take the night off from prime-time to spend some story-time with your child - it may make a big difference in the long run.

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53

Graph it up! Statistics for the Younger Set



CEOs use them. City planners rely on them. And entire board room walls are devoted to their presence. So how can you help your child get a leg up and dive into the sophisticated world of graphs?

Graphing is an important math tool. It can be a simple way to introduce broader concepts of greater than/less than, or most and least. It can also be a great way to engage your child and create some enthusiasm for math.

“Constructing and interpreting graphs, especially bar graphs, is important in grades preK– 2 because it provides children an opportunity to count and compare sets of objects—two big ideas in number and operations,” explains Francis “Skip” Fennell, president of the National Council of Teaching Mathematics (NCTM).

Indeed, being introduced to graphs at an early age can help children to understand huge mathematical concepts such as sorting, organizing, counting, comparing, and analyzing.

“Graphing activities for young children should be part of a broader context in which children collect some data, organize it, and then represent it in a graph,” says Terry Goodman, PhD, Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Central Missouri. “Young children can use pictures or even physical models to create a graph. For example, a child might sort M&Ms on the basis of color and then use the candies to create a "bar" graph where the height of each bar would correspond to the number of M&Ms of that color.”

So, how to get started? Here’s a simple plan for creating your first graph with your child:

Materials:
Large sheet of poster board
Various colors of construction paper, cut into 1” x 2” rectangles
Tape or glue

Go to a place where you can watch some cars pass by on a street that has some traffic, but is not too busy. A park bench, or even your front porch might be the perfect place to start.
Spend ten minutes watching cars pass by.
Have each family member take turns graphing the color of each car you see by taping a rectangle of the same color onto the paper so that it lines up as a bar graph. For example the first green car you see would get glued onto the bottom, with the next green car getting a spot right on top.
Older children can use markers to label the graph with the names of the colors along the bottom and numbers along the left side. Younger children can merely look at the graph to see which column is taller – the yellow or the blue, for example.
Questions to ask your child:

Which color did we see the most of? How do you know?
Which color did we see the least of?
How many red cars did we see?
Did we see more black cars or white cars?

Other ways to use graphs at home:

Observe the weather each day and make a pictograph or bar graph to track daily changes.
Goodman also suggests having children sort their stuffed animals by color or size, and then graph their results.
If you use graphs to look at data in your workplace, bring those home! Kids will love knowing they can “read” grown-up math too.
A child who is saving his allowance to buy an item might create a chart or graph to show how much he can save over a certain amount of time.
For older children, take your data to the computer and make a more sophisticated looking graph by going here or here.
Look around your house. What else can you graph? Types of cups in the drawer? Number of pillows in each room? Kinds of food in the pantry? Get creative! Your child not only needs to learn these math concepts, but she likely will enjoy doing this kind of math too.

Find more great ideas from NCTM by downloading a free math at home guide.

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52

Recognizing the Gifted Child



At two, when the other sandbox kids pointed to the sky saying, “Plane, plane,” she said, “Look, Mommy! That’s an emergency rescue helicopter!”

At preschool, the teacher put out a box of wooden blocks for her three-year-old class. On his very first day using them, one of the boys created a three-foot tall marble chute, and spent the rest of the morning analyzing the relative speeds of different sizes of marbles.

What’s up? Well, say experts, these two kids may not be just cute. If they consistently think and behave this way, making abstract connections and displaying skills way beyond their years in a variety of settings, they may be gifted…and it’s a very big deal.

In fact, says the National Association for Gifted Children, it's essential that these children be properly identified and nurtured. Our nation, they have written, must “provide optimal educational experiences for talents to flourish in as many children as possible, for the benefit of the individual and the community.” And without such attention, many advocates argue, they may easily languish.

Still, everyone agrees that “giftedness” can be tough to define. How can you know it when you see it? For starters, beware: “giftedness” goes way beyond a good grade or one precocious conversation at the sandbox. Instead, the National Association for Gifted Children says, “A gifted person is someone who shows, or has the potential for showing, an exceptional level of performance in one or more areas of expression.” This talent may be general, as with capacity to think analytically and creatively, or to lead others. Or it may be specific, showing up in areas such as music, science, or literature. While they acknowledge that many children may show skill at some point in any of these areas, they estimate that only about 5% of America’s student population—about three million kids—is truly gifted.

So how does this affect your kid? Actual program structures vary by state, but experts broadly agree that to “identify” a gifted child officially, educators and parents need to use “multiple indicators” from a variety of sources, such as students’ work, teacher observations, caregiver and parent reports. Schools also generally include test scores, but consider them only one factor. Fairfax County Public Schools, for example—the nation’s thirteenth largest school district and home to an extensive Gifted and Talented Education program K-12—uses a case by case “portfolio” approach including both ability and achievement tests; parent questionnaires, teacher records, and a “gifted behavior” rating scale. And no matter what the final designation, teachers will look for nascent talents and keep working to develop them.

Think your child may fit these criteria? Go ahead and speak to your teacher, and ask about any staff members on campus who specialize in gifted kids or who may coordinate the school’s work with them. If your child is designated “gifted,” or even if you think she’s just developed a very strong early interest, find out what your school offers. After all, educators and parents do have the same ultimate goal, of helping kids make the most of their abilities.

As Carol Horn, Ed.D., Coordinator for Fairfax County Schools Gifted and Talented Programs, says, “Here’s what we believe: In children, giftedness is potential.” Over decades, she has seen giftedness at every level, and from every area her district serves. “There are children who are gifted, but because of language or poverty or other factors, it may not be evident at first.” Whether a child comes from such a background, or has been enriched from birth, the school’s job remains the same: “It’s our responsibility as educators to nurture that potential.”

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51

Do Parents Have a Right to Homeschool?



Do parents have a constitutional right to homeschool their children? Not according to a California District Court Judge, who recently ruled that a child must be schooled “by a person holding a valid state teaching credential for the grade being taught.”

What started as a Los Angeles County child welfare case involving one specific family has mushroomed into proceedings that have essentially put on trial the very nature of what constitutes a sound education. “For decades we've been happily homeschooling, and then this comes up out of the blue,” says Mary Griffith, a homeschooling parent and author of The Homeschooling Handbook and Viral Learning: Reflections on a Homeschooling Life. Griffith says California had traditionally given homeschooling parents the freedom to choose the kind of education they want for their child, asking only that they file as a private school and that the faculty be simply “capable of teaching.”

This particular family in Los Angeles had enrolled their children in a private school independent study program not in their home. In response to abuse charges against the family, the children were enrolled in public school. The parents stated they had a constitutional right to homeschool on religious grounds; that's when the court ruling was issued. However, Griffith says if the ruling ends up affecting anyone, it will mainly be those who also enroll their children in off-site homeschooling . “This won't be far-reaching for homeschooling parents.”

That's how organizations like the HomeSchool Association of California (HSC) would like to keep it, anyway, and they've hired a team of lawyers to limit the impact of the case. Griffith says the legal team for HSC is trying to establish that while this ruling may indeed by necessary for this particular family, it should not set a precedent for all. If the issue doesn't get resolved at the state-level, you may just see it wind up in the Supreme Court.

And the debate continues to rage from both sides. There are some in the field of education calling for a mandate requiring all California homeschooled children to be tested and evaluated by the same techniques as their public school educated peers. That's a problem, say homeschool educators, who don't believe the public school system is the ideal by which all other methods of education should be measured.

As far as Griffith is concerned, all this legal rambling about homeschooling is a mute point. “There will be some families that are abusive and you look at their curriculum and go “yuck”, but you can get that in public schools, too,” she says. “You can't base a law on the worst case scenario.”

What does this case really mean for homeschooling families nationwide? According to Darren A. Jones, staff attorney with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) this decision is certain to affect homeschooling on a national scale. Jones asserts that it is common for state courts to look to other states’ rulings for assistance in deciding issues where no precedent exists. “A poor legal decision in California could become part of a trend across the nation.”

Griffith is not so convinced: “I think this case is a complete fluke,” she says. The jury is still out on that one. In the meantime, the HomeSchool Association of California suggests parents make contact with their local homeschooling community and stay informed.

To read the full text of Justice Robert Walter Croskey’s appellate court ruling visit: http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B192878.PDF

For more information on homeschooling see:

So You've Decided to Homeschool...What Now? by Johanna Sorrentino

Unschooling 101 by Dewi Faulkner

Home Schooling by Patricia M. Lines

Read more...

50

Educating the Gifted Child



You’ve seen the papers. Our Nation’s Report Card, a result of No Child Left Behind, shows who’s “proficient” and who’s not, and some results are grim. But there’s another whole group of kids that many experts worry about: our Gifted and Talented children, who tend to sail above these score charts, but who still may have special learning needs of their own.

If gifted and talented children are already succeeding in school, what’s the problem? Well, say advocates, gifted children think at such high levels of complexity that, while they can benefit from some aspects of a normal school day, they also require curriculum that allows them to move ahead faster and pursue their areas of interest and talent. Remove this enrichment and you may still see good test scores on state tests; but behind those numbers, say experts like Joseph Renzulli, PhD., Director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, there’s a harsh story: lessons that amount to a “search and destroy mission for the correct answer.” Classrooms like these, he warns, can devastate gifted learnings by “driving them away from school and killing the joy in their learning.”

In such a high-risk endeavor, how should we approach gifted and talented education? Building on Renzulli’s work and that of others in the field, the National Association for Gifted Children has created national “standards” of its own. In order to serve gifted kids adequately, they insist, school must provide:

Varied levels of curriculum within each grade, going all the way from K-12.
Adaptations to the regular curriculum if appropriate
Flexibility with timing, so that gifted kids can move faster when they’re ready (and even skip grades or levels if appropriate)
A continuum of options, ranging from staying in a regular class to being in a special one.
How can real kids and real schools enact such ambitious programs? In Fairfax, Virginia—the nation’s thirteenth largest school district—staff leaders have worked with researchers both across the country and within the state, through institutions like George Mason University and the College of William and Mary, to establish a “continuum” of service for kids from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Starting in kindergarten, a specially credentialed gifted and talented teacher will visit the class to deliver one of 300 “model thinking” lessons. What does that look like? “Open-ended curriculum,” explains program coordinator Carol Horn, Ed.D., “designed to get children to think at a higher level but still tied to state standards.” The staff record how children respond, and which children particularly seem to leap at the challenge.

With a gifted and talented specialist on staff at each of the district’s 137 elementary schools, this approach continues in successive elementary grades, but regular classroom teachers will also work with specialists to “differentiate” their instruction, providing adaptations, modifications, and flexible grouping to meet kids’ needs. Throughout this time, they develop a portfolio of student work, parent observations, test scores and staff assessments. Starting in third grade, particularly exceptional students may be referred to one of 23 gifted and talented “centers” across the district—self-contained classrooms within regular schools, where kids will learn academic topics together, but will have recess, PE and other “specials” with kids across the grade.

And how has it worked? Today, 18% of Fairfax students receive gifted and talented services through school-based programs, and program curriculum has been adopted in a broad range of classrooms by popular demand. With coaching by Horn and others, for example, teachers approach state standards with lessons that convey core knowledge, while also encouraging connections to concepts, practical applications, and personal hopes and dreams. A classic unit on the Civil War, for example, might include not just core facts and dates, but discussion of abstract styles of leadership used in the Union and Confederacy, a debate among historical perspectives, perhaps with a contribution or two from a real historian, and time to reflect.

To listen to Horn is to conclude that Gifted and Talented Education is thriving in plenty of schools nowadays. It’s still, she insists, about helping every kid reach potential. “It’s our responsibility,” she says, “to take the standards and lead the students forward.” And while they’re at it, Horn adds, “We always want to make the access to that learning exciting for students. I do think it’s what’s best for kids.”

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49

Do Parents Have a Right to Homeschool?



Do parents have a constitutional right to homeschool their children? Not according to a California District Court Judge, who recently ruled that a child must be schooled “by a person holding a valid state teaching credential for the grade being taught.”

What started as a Los Angeles County child welfare case involving one specific family has mushroomed into proceedings that have essentially put on trial the very nature of what constitutes a sound education. “For decades we've been happily homeschooling, and then this comes up out of the blue,” says Mary Griffith, a homeschooling parent and author of The Homeschooling Handbook and Viral Learning: Reflections on a Homeschooling Life. Griffith says California had traditionally given homeschooling parents the freedom to choose the kind of education they want for their child, asking only that they file as a private school and that the faculty be simply “capable of teaching.”

This particular family in Los Angeles had enrolled their children in a private school independent study program not in their home. In response to abuse charges against the family, the children were enrolled in public school. The parents stated they had a constitutional right to homeschool on religious grounds; that's when the court ruling was issued. However, Griffith says if the ruling ends up affecting anyone, it will mainly be those who also enroll their children in off-site homeschooling . “This won't be far-reaching for homeschooling parents.”

That's how organizations like the HomeSchool Association of California (HSC) would like to keep it, anyway, and they've hired a team of lawyers to limit the impact of the case. Griffith says the legal team for HSC is trying to establish that while this ruling may indeed by necessary for this particular family, it should not set a precedent for all. If the issue doesn't get resolved at the state-level, you may just see it wind up in the Supreme Court.

And the debate continues to rage from both sides. There are some in the field of education calling for a mandate requiring all California homeschooled children to be tested and evaluated by the same techniques as their public school educated peers. That's a problem, say homeschool educators, who don't believe the public school system is the ideal by which all other methods of education should be measured.

As far as Griffith is concerned, all this legal rambling about homeschooling is a mute point. “There will be some families that are abusive and you look at their curriculum and go “yuck”, but you can get that in public schools, too,” she says. “You can't base a law on the worst case scenario.”

What does this case really mean for homeschooling families nationwide? According to Darren A. Jones, staff attorney with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) this decision is certain to affect homeschooling on a national scale. Jones asserts that it is common for state courts to look to other states’ rulings for assistance in deciding issues where no precedent exists. “A poor legal decision in California could become part of a trend across the nation.”

Griffith is not so convinced: “I think this case is a complete fluke,” she says. The jury is still out on that one. In the meantime, the HomeSchool Association of California suggests parents make contact with their local homeschooling community and stay informed.

To read the full text of Justice Robert Walter Croskey’s appellate court ruling visit: http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B192878.PDF

For more information on homeschooling see:

So You've Decided to Homeschool...What Now? by Johanna Sorrentino

Unschooling 101 by Dewi Faulkner

Home Schooling by Patricia M. Lines

Read more...

48

Fostering Your Child's Financial Literacy



Everyone knows that young people are pros at spending money; millions of dollars are spent annually on advertising aggressively directed towards them. They know how to use ATM machines to take money out. But, in these uncertain economic times, do they know how to save it? And do they know how to think long-term – beyond the weekend – about their finances? What about credit card debt? Or investing for the future?

The National Council on Economic Education (NCEE), a nationwide organization that serves to promote financial literacy with students and their teachers, has this to say on its website: “NCEE surveys show that nearly half of our young people don't understand how to save and invest for retirement, nor how to handle credit cards, don't know the difference between inflation and recession, nor how government spending affects them. If we fail to act now to improve economic literacy in this country, our children will be at risk for crippling personal debt, costly decisions at work and at home, and lack competitive skills in a fast-paced global economy.”

Robert Duvall, PhD, President and CEO of NCEE, says, “We know that the skills of managing your money well, are not skills that you’re born with. It’s learned behavior.” And according to many experts, the younger kids start learning about financial management, the better. Many schools now offer some form of financial-management class, particularly at the high school level. But parents are still their child’s first teacher, and can have a great influence on their child’s financial education. Paul Golden, a spokesperson for the National Endowment for Financial Education, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to improving the financial well-being of Americans, says “Teaching children good money sense must start in the home. Parents should invest time talking with their children about money and how to use it appropriately.”

So what can parents do to offer their kids some guidance on this issue and promote financial literacy at home? Here are a few tips.



Set a good example. Kids watch everything their parents do, and that includes how they manage their finances. Golden notes “[I]t’s important to remember that children will often mirror the behaviors of their parents. When parents set a good example, children will see how to apply money management basics, and will establish positive habits that will benefit them throughout their economic lifetime. Remember, it is never too late to set a good example.”


Start saving – at any age. As Dr. Duvall points out, “We have a negative savings rate in this country. That’s dangerous for individuals and for the nation.” A child who puts away part of their allowance each week to save for a new toy, or a teen who follows a longer-term savings plan for a car or college fund, is building a great habit of saving that will serve him or her well throughout life. Parents can get involved here and discuss short-term versus long-term savings goals, and help break down how much has to be saved each week to pay for a particular item. They can explain how interest earned on a savings account can benefit the child in the long-term. This is also an opportunity to discuss sharing and the principle of giving part of what they have to help others.


Budget sense. Talk about the family’s budget and how to keep track of expenses. The idea that a person’s living expenses should fit within their earnings can be a challenging one to grasp. Parents can help their children set up their own budgets, or even play "budget games" with younger kids. For example, “you have XX amount of money to spend at the restaurant today. Whatever you pick for lunch has to stay within that amount.”


Go shopping together. Shopping with your child is a great opportunity to talk about the relative prices of products and their value. Why does this bread cost $0.50 more than the other one? What does that extra $0.50 buy you? Is it worth it?


Make it a long-term conversation. Financial matters can get complex pretty quickly. But kids who learn basic principles of earning money and saving it, of what things cost and how to budget for their expenses, will be in a much better position as young adults to understand the more complex issues of mortgages, credit cards and interest rates. Parents who introduce their kids to solid financial principles early on are providing an important part of their children’s preparation for the "real world."

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48

Decoding Special Ed


When your child started school, you were all set for ABC's. And when 1,2,3's came, you didn't bat an eye. But if your child has struggled with any of these subjects, and your teacher has suggested evaluation for special education, then get set for a whole new world of acronyms, from FAPE to IEP and beyond.

Chaotic as these terms may seem, they can be very helpful for you and your child. Over the last three decades, our schools have developed more and more sophisticated tools for serving children with special needs - and that's a good thing.

Your school can explain its own programs (and be prepared for another alphabet onslaught!), but since national legislation covers special education, here's a “crib sheet” of terms you can be sure you'll see. And if you don't, speak up! The programs below are your right under federal law.

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). This landmark law got its start in 1975, when it was called the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Before that, it was not unusual for children with special needs to be pushed out of schools, either into institutions or even into home care. Today, the U.S. Department of Education estimates that about 6.5 million children and youths receive “special education and related services” in our schools.

FAPE (Free and Appropriate Public Education). FAPE is a cornerstone of the Individuals with Disabilities Act. It means that if your child needs special education services, the public schools are required to provide them at no cost to you, and in ways that meet local, state, and federal standards.

LRE (Least Restrictive Environment). Even in an age of sophisticated tests and programs, lots of professionals may have differing opinions about the best setting for a child. Some special needs kids may require special classrooms; but as much as possible, the law says that they should learn and grow around their typically developing peers.

IEP (Individualized Education Plan). This is the term you'll probably hear most often, because schools develop these plans for every child and will review them regularly, sometimes several times a year. Parents, teachers, and educational specialists meet together to create each IEP, which sets specific, concrete learning goals and objectives. If they work, your child may stop needing special education services altogether; if not, the team will meet to make any necessary changes.

504 (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973). If your child has a mild learning disability or condition such as ADD, don't be surprised if the school mentions a “504” plan. This means that although your child doesn't need a special ed resource teacher or aide, she can still get “accommodations” in the classroom which can be written into a plan with clear goals. A child with hearing problems, for example, will be guaranteed a seat near the teacher. In high school, students with attention problems might be allowed extra time on tests.

Still feeling intimidated? You're not alone. But remember this: as a parent, you are a uniquely important person in your child's education, especially if she's got special needs. Do not hesitate to ask questions and pursue answers until you're truly satisfied. A free and appropriate public education is not just a privilege: thanks to IDEA, it's the law.

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47

How Should Schools be Using Tech to Teach?


Classroom technology in the 21st Century extends far beyond calculators and overhead projectors. Today’s kids use the internet to track down information and share their research with kids across the world via blogs and wikis. In some ways, teachers are just keeping up with their students when it comes to using the internet: the PEW Internet & American Life Project found that 93 percent of teens between the age of 12 and 17 are online, and 89 percent of teens say that technology (the Internet, cell phones, etc) makes their lives easier.

At home, kids use the Internet to find information and communicate with friends. A 2007 National School Boards Association study found that 96 percent of students who have access to the Internet have used social networking (blogging, instant messaging, and online communities). What are they talking about? The answer may surprise you. The majority (59 percent) talk about education topics, from schoolwork to college applications.

But being internet-savvy isn’t the only skill that our kids are going to need to succeed in the 21st Century. “Problems are getting so much more complex,” says Ken Kay, president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, who says that teaching kids “how to analyze and solve problems is the most important thing we can do.” Along with problem solving, 21st skills include collaborating, synthesizing information, communicating, having a strong work ethic, and being aware of global cultures and perspectives, all while using technology.

So far, technology education isn’t making the grade. Today’s kids are familiar with text messaging, email, Google, and Facebook, but can they find information online, use it to create a database, and solve a real world problem? And how much do they really know about global perspectives?

Parents want to help their kids develop real-world skills, from technology to global awareness, but where to start? Here are four model projects that taking tech in schools to a whole new level:

Studycast: Eric Langhorst, an 8th grade teacher at South Valley Junior High in Liberty, MO uses podcasts to help his students study for tests. Langhorst records himself talking through a review of the test, then posts it on his web page and on iTunes for his students to download (he also burns a few copies onto a CD). Check out this week's podcast.

Guerilla Season Blog: Langhorst’s class also blogs online about the historical novel Guerilla Season. The blog, says Langhorst, “allows students to create content and publish it. [After all] students aren’t just fed information anymore, it’s what they do with it.” Read Langhorst’s blog here.

FlatClassroom: Vicki Davis, a teacher at Westwood School in Camilla, GA, started FlatClassroom to give her students skills that she knows they’ll need when they graduate: technology, communication, and global awareness. The project uses a wiki to collaborate with other schools around the world on research projects and publish their findings online. Visit the project here.

Social Networking: Kelly Tenkely, computer teacher at Cherry Hills Christian School in Highlands Ranch, CO use Imbee.com to teach her young students how to use social networking sites safely. Imbee.com is a virtual world for kids between the ages of seven and twelve (created by a parent). It has personal pages, blogs, and groups set up by National Geographic and Build-A-Bear, with all the safety features built-in. Use social networking with your students at www.imbee.com or www.ning.com

Learn More About Online Teaching:

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has information about what 21st Century skills are and how to teach them.

Join the National School Boards Association Technology Leadership Network for information about tech in education:

The Pew & American Life Project has information about how teens and adults use the internet:

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46

Can Special Ed Help Your Child?



It happens a lot: everything seemed fine in preschool and kindergarten, and even first grade, but then it’s time to read independently…or do hard math problems…or write an independent report…and there’s an explosion. You do all the right things: call the teacher, help at home, give endless encouragement. But your kid just seems to be miserable, and you’re at the end of your rope, too.

Of course, sometimes this is really just a short bump in the road. But if problems persist, and especially if you’ve worked with the school and together you can’t seem to crack it, you may want to think about special ed.

If those words leave you breathless, hang on. Many Americans remember a day when “special ed” meant segregated classes, or even whole schools. Even worse, prior to the passage of the Education For all Handicapped Children Act in 1975, it was not unusual for highly disabled students to be labeled “ineducable” and pushed out of school entirely.

Today, over three decades later, “special education” is a whole different game. Today, experts have more information, and more tools than ever, to identify learning strategies that may make all the difference for your child. And due to successive updates in federal law, experts now overwhelmingly emphasize keeping kids in regular classrooms with extra support.

So what does “Special Education” cover? Federal law—now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), includes traditional categories such as mental retardation, multiple handicaps, hearing impairment or blindness, speech and language problems, orthopedic handicaps, autism, and specific learning disabilities. But especially with the recent dramatic improvements in research, we also know that within these categories a child may have symptoms that vary widely.

So what does this mean for you and your child? If a teacher suggests special education, the process will always start with a thorough evaluation to see what’s going on. Then, and only then, will the school work with you to determine a plan of action. Suppose, for example, that your first grader just can’t sound out words, and is also having trouble pronouncing them right. Often this results from speech and language problems that can be resolved in a few months of therapy—and be all the “special ed” that your child ever needs.

Under the law, you can, of course, refuse special education services for your child. But if you’re worried about stigmas or holding your child back, you may want to think again. As Penny Kodrich, Ed.S. Director of Special Services for the renowned Edina Public Schools in Minnesota, says, professionals understand that “kids want to have friends. They want to do stuff and be included. You need to build a purposeful feeling of belonging.” And for a child struggling to keep up, a caring professional with the right set of skills may be just the right boost, not just for now, but for a successful future in school.

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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

45

MLM Success Training - Golden Rule For Prospecting Strangers



Cruising around the MLM playground (Online MLM Forums), the question of “How do you prospect strangers into your MLM Business?” popped up. And I knew if this fellow Network Marketer was struggling with this question, then several others probably are having the same dilemma as well.

So here it is.

When you’re building your MLM Business there is 1 Golden Rule to follow when it comes to prospecting strangers and it’s simply:

Just Don’t Do It!

That’s right! You NEVER want to prospect strangers to build your MLM Business. Now I know some people may not agree with me, so here are 3 “Prime” reasons why you don’t want to prospect strangers as a way to build your MLM Business.

Reason #1 - Strangers Are Not Your Target Market.

Believe it or not, but unfortunately more than half the population isn’t “wired” to be in business for themselves. Your goal is to find people with a “track record” of success. These are the only kinds of people you need to help build your business, not strangers (any ‘ol Joe Schmo you see walking down the street).

If that’s your plan then you might as well whip out the phone book and start dialing. And let’s see how many No’s, not interested’s and don’t call me again’s you get before you finish the page. It’s simply because “strangers” is not the target market you should be going after to build a successful home business.

Reason #2 - It’s Too Ineffective.

Prospecting strangers is a big waste of time, energy and patience. Just think about it, would someone like Donald Trump say “Hey, I have this great business opportunity that’ll help any self motivated and dedicated individual make a handsome residual income each month –let’s kick things off by showing it to people walking on the street!” Of course not! So why should you?

It’s at least 10x more effective to target a group of people who “already” possess positive character traits and good business skills that’ll help you take your business to the next level.

Reason #3 - It’s Just Not Worth It

Prospecting strangers isn’t worth the hassle (time, energy, sweat, blood, tears and not to mention the headaches). Prospecting these types of people for your business WILL take a lot out of you. (Just thinking about it, makes me cringe). Facing rejection from the wrong kinds of people is one of the main “killers” for many new home business owners. Don’t let it happen to you, or anyone in your organization. Don’t prospect strangers.

Remember; don’t try to prospect everyone for your business because unfortunately not everyone is ideally suited to be in business for themselves. It’s sad, but true. So in order to find the right people for your MLM Business simply focus on a target market. Look for people with a track record of success and possess good business skills.

Some great examples of this are real estate agents, store owners, small business owners, franchise owners and even other Network Markets (they almost always keep their options open). Simply put, focus your energy on target markets rather than every ‘ol Joe Schmo who comes within 3 feet of you, it’s proven to work 10x better than prospecting everyday strangers.

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44

Mona Lisa Your Branding

Have you mistakenly trained your branding to fall over and play dead? Do you know how to use psychology to create branding that lights up with the voltage of a thousand neon bulbs? And can you play Scrooge with your budget, yet get huge branding mileage? And if so, how? Read on and find out how you can be a Leonardo Da Vinci with your brand!

It’s Raining 3000+ Messages a Day!
I have a friend. Let’s call him Eugene. Partly because that’s his real name. Eugene positions himself as a pitch manager. Very effectively, he shows CEOs and executives (who make pitches for new and existing business) how they can use simple steps to get a powerful presentation across.

Eugene had a problem that all of us do. His brand (or his company’s brand) was just one of three thousand new messages that bamboozle us every day through various media. To get his name welded in his customer’s brain was like being on a rocking chair. You feel the movement, but you go nowhere. Eugene’s brand was going places, but it was a slow tedious process.

He needed to get some prime real estate in his customer’s brain really quickly and without the benefit of Daddy Warbucks’ deep pockets. All he had to do was get their attention…

13 Boxes. Does That Get Your Attention?
Doesn’t your brain go nuts wanting to ask what is the significance of 13 boxes? That’s the new brand name of Eugene’s company. Can you see that immediately catching your attention? The brain is dying to know the significance of this strange sounding set of words. And it won’t let go till it gets an answer!

In this case the answer is simple. Eugene has a system of 13 boxes in his training process that takes you from the start of your presentation to the final crescendo. The 13 boxes form the structure and the route you must follow to get results.

His company brand could be something like XYZ Training or have his own name (like accountants and law firms do) but why on earth would that excite his customer’s brain?

Another Branding Example called KeyGhost...
Here’s another example of vivid psychological branding called KeyGhost. KeyGhost is a powerful but simplistic device that monitors every keystroke on your keyboard. This spy-like product evades the scrutiny of the unobservant eye. A name like KeyGhost immediately ruffles the brain forcing it to stop what it’s doing. Then it drives all its attention in the direction of this unusual sounding product.

This is exactly what you need. Once you’ve got a spotlight-hogging brand name, you start to own a tiny part of your customer’s brain that is yours to keep forever.

Forever Starts With a Trigger…
A trigger called Curiosity! Curiosity sounds a deafening red alert in every neuron of the brain. The brain is at its curious best when faced with something that seems irregular or uncommon in some way.

If your brand name doesn’t create a curiosity factor, you’re wasting gobs of money to just trying to cut through the communication clutter. The sooner you get psychological exclamation marks into your brand name, the sooner you get the attention you crave for.

But What If You Have a Boring Company Name That You’re Stuck With?
Hey it happens! You inherited the brand name and there’s not much you can do with it without the shareholders going for your jugular. Well don’t fret. First you’ve got to realise that branding is not restricted to just your company name. A process/product that your company has or follows could become bigger than the company itself.

Look For The Power Of Your Processes…
With Eugene, his process was sitting under his nose all along. In the case of 13 Boxes, it’s quite easy to draw up a dramatic scenario of how 13 boxes can get you out of your ‘box’ and give you immense confidence in your presentation skills. In his case, though, the process actually defined the company.

With KeyGhost, it’s a cinch to describe how the hardware works just like a ghost and yet link it back to your keyboard and computer.

You can be an accounting firm with a company name like “Boring, Dead and Co.” and still brand your prize-winning process and call it ‘Goodbye Extra Tax’ or ‘Corporate Loopholes.’

Do you think your clients will see you in a better light? You bet they will! So get going, get out and get working on your brand naming canvas right away!

Nonsensical Names Work Too…
One Red Dog, The Loaded Hog and other such names flout the basic principles of process and logic. Yet they seem to work powerful imagery on the brand name. It’s the story that goes with it that creates a sense of immortality and distinctiveness around the brand.

Even if you choose to have a name that means very little and can drum up a story to match it, you’ve got yourself a winner. Which place would you rather frequent? 'One Red Dog' or 'Joe’s Café?' With a vivid name you’ve got the opportunity to weave a story -- even a story that you made up all by yourself!

Shazaam! It’s Branding With Drama!
Don’t just Mona Lisa your brand. Put some Shakespeare in it as well. Push the limits of your brand name and make it an action tool. For example, 13 boxes could be presented as 13 different boxes placed on a CEO’s desk. Can you visualise the curiosity factor? What if the boxes were different shapes and different colours? Can you see the website name? The t-shirt design? The ad on TV? Can you see how extendable a picturesque brand name can be?

Go ahead; make the effort to Mona Lisa your brand name.

You’ll make Leonardo really proud of you!

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43

More than Just Money: Barter

By definition, barter is the when parties swap services or resources. But in business terms, it’s an exchange that ends usually with everyone a winner. All parties involved in bartering hold onto their cold hard cash and don’t lose a cent. There’s no worries about getting ripped off as a buyer or seller, so it’s an exchange that’s high on trust, low on tension. And finally, the government doesn’t get its hands on any of the proceeds. Bartering is such a great system, it’s no wonder it’s been around nearly forever.

Historians and archeologists reckon that bartering is a human business practice for the ages. It goes back as far as written history, and perhaps even further into mankind’s (and womankind’s) history of business practices.

Between humans, the actual business practice of money came long before money was invented. In written history, as far back as 9,000 BC, shepherds used cattle as a means of exchange—from sheep to cows, camels to goats. Then when farmers came along during the course of the next couple thousands of years, grains and plants became the hot commodity in the world of bartering.

Bartering may have dissipated over the years, but it by no means went away. That’s the amazing thing about bartering. It still is, to this day, the ideal method of business exchange for some business folk, including companies with millions in assets. But it’s especially helpful for small businesses looking to get a leg up on their competition.

Listen to people talking in today’s business world, and you’ll hear stories such as the programmer who helped to code an interactive Web page for a startup graphic-design company, in exchange for a logo design for his own startup surf-board design shop. Then there’s the story of the new Internet advertising firm rolling out an ad campaign for a restaurant. Later that year, the restaurant hosted a “free” party and dinner for that ad firm’s clients.

Examples in today’s business world abound for bartering. The reason is that bartering still has many advantages to it in this modern business world.

For instance, for companies that are just starting to build up their assets, bartering is an opportunity to save their hard-earned cash. Even established companies love the chance to keep their money in the bank. With bartering, a company can get what it needs, while providing a service that the other company needs.

And because there is no money passed between pockets, the taxman does not even need to know about it. That saves you, and your accountant, the trouble of figuring out one more piece of business income or expense.

Lastly, deals involving money may whip up the old Scrooge mentality—a combination of greed and mistrust. With money deals, you may always be left wondering if you got the short end of the stick. Not so with bartering. With bartering, you get exactly what you need. And in return, you give a fair share of goods or services.

There’s no need to be a Scrooge here. Instead, the whole transaction is one of trust and understanding. Generally speaking, bartering for goods and services feels more worthwhile than paying money, whether you’re bartering for a dinner party for your clients, Internet advertising space, or whatever it is that you and your bartering partner agree to. Perhaps it’s because you can actually feel the value of your own goods and services. Or it may be just because you don’t have to open your wallet.

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42

Mortgage vs. Real Estate Lead Generation -

It is fairly common for real estate companies and mortgage brokers to use leads. There is a difference between mortgage lead generation and real estate generation. Mortgage lead generation deals with people who need to refinance their homes or apply for loans, while real estate lead generation is a service that connects potential buyers with real estate agents.

Mortgage leads are generated in a number of different ways. One way to create the leads is for the lender, that is the mortgage broker, to appear in a paper or online directory. This lets potential customers make the first contact. The lenders give information about themselves, like the interest rates they charge and types of lending programs they offer, along with their contact information. This allows potential borrowers to search out the lender that is best for them.

Real Estate lead generation is somewhat different. It involves connecting prospective buyers to real estate agents. It is usually a good idea to use a real estate lead generation service that uses only inbound leads, meaning that the buyer contacts the lead generator looking for a real estate agent. This way, the lead generator can get the most information possible from the buyer in order to find the most appropriate real estate agent. Many lead generation services use tricks to lure prospective buyers.

Mortgage lead generation helps lenders and borrowers find each other. This service benefits everyone involved. Some of the most successful businesses on the Internet are lead generation agencies.

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41

Original Ways To Make Money With No Money-a Short Education

An opportunity should never be bought into. By definition, an opportunity is something that people will never sell you. From franchises to swamp land in Florida, to patents and inventions, it makes no difference. Theres nothing wrong with any of the things mentioned, however if somebody is trying to sell you these things, then they are not opportunities by definition.

An opportunity is an advantage that you can see that others cannot. I dont care about the dictionary definition, this is the real world definition. Opportunities are free. They dont cost money to observe. Of course I dont mean they wont cost you money, you may need some money to act on it. But if you are paying money so somebody can sell it to you (a sales commission) You should run for the hills.

So, getting back to my definition of an opportunity.

"Its an advantage that you can see that others cannot"

So what that means is that you have vision while others do not. We are awash with money around us. Money or "value" is everywhere. As "Hayden Muller" says, "it permeates our lives like oxygen" The difficulty is not finding opportunity. It is literally everywhere all the time. We are suffering from snow blindness if we still work for a living when such abundance is around us in our every day lives.

The difficulty is not money either. Having access to a few hundred dollars is all you need to take advantage of a million daily opportunities that present themselves in our daily lives. Anyone with some determination can find that much.

No, the real difficulty is knowledge, or education. Its what seperates action from indifference. The question becomes, "so what?" "so what if I took this opportunity and made a few dollars, what next?" You see, without education, opportunities are meaningless. They lead now-where because we lack vision. Don't worry, I lacked plenty of vision myself.

Today you could drop me out of the sky into any free city on the Planet with nothing but the shirt on my back and I would be living well within 3 months and be financially secure within 2-4 years. I know I can do that because my vision tells me I easily could.

Put me in the middle of New York, I would immediately find markets to deal in. Even before I found a place to sleep, I would begin learning about what free markets are available and what they most want and need. I would quickly establish contacts with suppliers and retailers to become the "middle man" my favourite place to be.

Within a week, I would have a few hundred dollars saved. I would use those funds and pyramid my purchases for faster and faster turn over until I had enough to buy small assets that are in high demand. Cars, boats, anything that was being sold that I could find really cheaply. My charm and good looks would make sure I got the best deals and sold them for the highest price (winks)

Charm and good looks aside, the one thing you need is a clarion plan. A master plan that gets you from A to B

Making money with no money is easy and rudimentry. Its the opportunities you spot that makes the real difference. But really its the propensity to take action that delivers the results. Before you can take that action, you need to know where you are going.

Your situation is alot better then the scenario I presented above. You live in a place where you know. You have intimate knowledge of the markets available already present. You have skills and have contacts already that can be of use.

Get a quick short education and go to it. Your first million is not as difficult as you may imagine.

May success find you fast and knowledge find you sooner.

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40

Properties for Sale in Bulgaria: A Look at Rural Real Estate

A great deal of attention has been paid to properties for sale in Bulgaria in the major urban areas in that country. In addition, the growth of property investment in Bulgaria in resort communities -- particularly in the mountainous regions of the country and around the Black Sea -- has been phenomenal in the past few years. However, when it comes to property investment in Bulgaria in some of the more rural areas of the country, people have been a bit slower on the uptake, perhaps a bit reluctant to put money into buying real estate in rural areas.


In point of fact, if you are interested in properties for sale in Bulgaria, you would be well served in taking a close look at the rural parts of the country.
(Indeed, Bulgaria -- with a population of just at 8 million souls -- remains a largely rural country.)


Perhaps the primary reason that you will want to consider property investment in Bulgaria in the rural part of the country rests in the reality that tourism is expected to increase markedly when Bulgaria becomes a part of the European Union in 2007.


For generations, Bulgaria has been a popular holiday destination for men and women who are residents of some of the other Eastern European countries. These holiday travelers flocked to the Black Sea resorts by the thousands annually. (As mentioned, properties for sale in Bulgaria in the resort communities have
been very buoyant recently.)


With the opening of the borders that will accompany admission into the European
Union, Bulgaria will experience an even more significant influx of holiday travelers in the future. A good number of these people will be interested in touring Bulgaria, including visiting some of the interesting and historic
destinations in the more rural parts of the country. Thus, a person with the foresight of taking advantage of property investment in Bulgaria will be in a position to profit from the increase in tourism that is anticipated in all sectors of the country.
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39

The Advantages of Full Color Brochure Printing -

A brochure can be a great promotional tool, whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or another application. The most professional and eye-catching brochures are usually those that are full color.

Full color brochure printing usually means standard four-color printing, and is now offered at almost every brochure printing company. Four-color printing is also referred to as standard color printing and employs cyan (blue), magenta, yellow, and black inks, often abbreviated to “CMYK.” Most computer software programs will convert any text or image to CMYK, and this is usually a requirement of printers.

Brochure printing companies will usually provide a clear explanation of the four-color process. Most high quality, full color commercial printing is done on offset presses using this four-color build process. These four colors are used to create or build the many color shades seen in a brilliant, full color printed brochure.

Color can be tricky, because what you see on your computer screen is called RGB color; it is a different color model than the four-color process. Frequently there is a wide variation in monitor technologies and calibration, and colors will be similar, but not exactly the same. Make sure you communicate to your printing service what color you need to see in the final product. If you print a sample color brochure on your inkjet or laser printer, there may be some variation from the color produced from your printer to the offset lithographic presses.

One of the many advantages of the four-color process is that computer-controlled inking and chemical mixing systems provide color consistency. Automatic color and register control maintains consistent quality, making four-color process the most popular printing choice.

When an exact color match is essential, a spot color of specially mixed ink is used in printing. These specially mixed inks are called pantone colors. You can find color books showing thousands of pantone colors and get an exact match. Spot colors are used most frequently for one- and two-color jobs and when an exact color needs to be produced every time. Full color brochure printing is easy and affordable; so let your imagination soar.

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38

The Exercise Infomercial Phenomenon -

It all started with Jane Fonda. She started an industry with a simple video tape that included a 30 minute beginners program followed by a 60 minute full workout. For Jane it formed the nucleus of an empire that included books, audio recordings and fitness salons that are still in existence today. More importantly, capitalizing on Jane’s success, her workout tapes were followed quickly by everybody with a cut chiseled physique or a machine to help you work off those extra pounds and bring out those abs which quite unbelievably is bigger today than it was yesterday but not as big as it will be tomorrow.

Like they say in the record biz, the hits just keep on coming. Everybody has jumped into the market through the years: Chuck Norris, Lou Ferrigno aka The Hulk from the TV show, even Governor Arnold tried his hand at it. Models, celebrities and just plain folks with a machine have created exercise infomercials and you can count on one thing – more are coming soon to a TV channel in your house.

There’s Pilates, aerobics, toning, step dynamics, yoga, stretch, even specialty exercise tapes for pregnant women, women who have just given birth, women who are thinking about getting pregnant, kids, seniors – and that’s only a small fraction of what is available. Right now there are over 700 titles currently available and at one time or another all of them were presented to the public as an infomercial.

Some exercise infomercials utilized a new form of advertising called the hybrid infomercial. In the hybrid infomercial the product is available immediately as a direct response item and at the same time the item is available in retail stores. Here the infomercial is serving a dual purpose – to make a profit for the manufacturer immediately with credit card phone orders and by creating a brand name identity for the product available in the retail marketplace. With so much product available in today’s infomercial exercise tape market, it’s difficult for any one tape or exercise machine to make a profit for its manufacturer. By utilizing the incredible power of infomercials to reach a wide public base and selling them as a direct response item and a retail item simultaneously, manufacturers have learned how to profit from infomercials even though the market may be oversaturated.

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37

The Most Popular Subjects People Will Pay For!

If you're still having a hard time trying to figure out which niche market to go into, start by simply spending some time asking questions of yourself...What are my favorite hobbies, interests, activities, etc. Or...What are some things I don't know yet but have a burning desire to learn more about?

Start a list and add all your favorites to it.

Here's a list of some of the most popular subjects people are paying for...

• Dating, Seduction, Sex Advice, Relationships

• Losing weight, gaining muscle, looking more attractive

• Health & fitness, cures/reliefs from specific diseases & ailments

• Spying, online privacy and security

• Safety, personal security, and protection of self and loved ones (self defense, home security, scam prevention, etc.)

• How to use computers and the Internet

• Mental influence, persuasion, and dominance

• General self-help, self improvement, personal development, and success

• Hobbies and special interests: cooking, magic, UFO's, metaphysics, becoming more competitive in sports, activities, etc.

• Making money, aside from marketing information: investing, stock market, futures trading, real estate tips, and other related financial information

• And of course, having more control and freedom in their lives!

People are always looking to improve themselves or some area of their lives. They are always trying to find solutions to problems.

There are sites catering to some of the above categories that are already generating thousands of dollars every month. I have personally sold products on some of the above categories and done very well.

Yet, we haven't even begun to tap the true profit potential in these areas yet because there's very little competition in most of these areas, especially when compared to the "how-to marketing" area! The potential to make money from the above special-interest categories is huge - and it's wide open!

Moreover, as more and more people get accustomed to buying digital products, you can easily imagine making insane amounts of money through these topics well into the future.

You could pick any one of the above subjects that you personally have an interest in and run with it.

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