Supporting Blue Gold Lebanon

Our young clovers started supporting Blue Gold from the day the program was launched. They ran in Beirut Marathon on Sunday November 10^th to support Blue Gold.

Since KSPS students know that water is indeed our most valuable national resource – more valuable than oil and gas, they launched an awareness campaign to collect votes for Blue Gold. They encouraged their teachers, friends, and family members to vote for Blue Gold.

What is Blue Gold Lebanon?

Blue Gold is an innovative, visionary 5-year plan that will increase the amount of available water to 500 million m3 as of 2020 and 1 billion m3 by 2030.

Please Click Here to vote for Blue Gold Lebanon.

When you vote you will contribute in collecting 1 million signatures to implement Blue Gold 5-year plan and to form a National Water Council for Lebanon.

Take action, you will trigger the change for a better Lebanon!

 

Science is Fun!

Throughout the last week, and during the science sessions, students were exposed to several teaching and learning habitsthat aimed to sum up all the first term lessons. Interactive learning was an objective during the Science session.

Various hands-on activities, games, visual aids, and songs were integrated in the science classroom.

While learning about cells, students conducted different experiments to learn about “cell parts, cell types, function of cells, comparing and contrasting between cells”. They made posters, used the microscope, and modeled cells using jelo (cytoplasm), oranges, jelly beans and apples as the cells’ organelles.

Moreover, students were exposed to various science activities were music was integrated with the subject matter. This helped in engaging students in the learning process and making connections with their daily lives. You can check the following website if you would like to listen to science songs: www.scitunes.com

Finally, students watched interactive flipcharts on daily basis.

Our classes are indeed full of excitement; and this leads us to the conclusion that everything learners feel and experience can reach their hearts and fortify their knowledge.

 

Mom, you are most welcome

On Wednesday November 21st, grade 5 science session wasn’t the same as everyday. Special visitors were present in our classroom. Fifteen mothers were invited to attend an interactive science class where we were the teachers and our moms were the students.

 We started preparing for this event a week ago.  Our class was divided into Jigsaw groups. Jigsaw is a cooperative learning technique that promotes better learning, improves student motivation, and increases enjoyment of the learning experience. Each Jigsaw group took a part of the lesson to explain it for the rest of the class. In one jigsaw group, Salma and Marwa were responsible for presenting body cells; Lama and Tala were assigned to cover the respiratory system; Ruba and Mona the excretory system; Hiba and Lana the circulatory sytem; Bayan and Malak the skeleton system. Jamal summed up the lesson through an interactive flipchart. Finally, Nivine gave us some tips that help us keep our body strong and healthy.

When mom is present Learning becomes definitely so much fun!

What do you like most about KSPS?

It has been around a month since the school started. New KSPS clovers had their own opinion concerning their new school. We used a new web 2.0 tool, Answer Garden, to express what we like most about KSPS.

What do you like most about KSPS?... at AnswerGarden.ch.

What do YOU like most about KSPS? Write your opinion in the above Answer Garden

Clovers Majestic Wishes

           As the scholastic year started, KSPS students had their special dreams with them. Each student came with a majestic wish hoping to achieve it before the end of the year. Students jotted down their small wishes, believing that some will come true. This activity was performed using the web 2.0 tool: Wall Wisher.

Empowering Teachers’ Effectiveness through Promethean Active Board

 Technology has the capacity to truly transform the learning experience of young people. Makassed Khalil Shehab Primary School tells a story of how well planned professional development programmes are critical and support teachers to become more effective in their practice. Teachers leverage the appropriate technology in making the right choices to help students develop critical skills for the 21st century.

I, as a Math and Science Coordinator, participated in the case study and had an opinion on how using the active board played a huge role in teachers’ effectiveness.

Click HERE to read the case study.

 

 

 

 

Teacher-Parent Attitudes

I would like to share with you an article in “Terrific Teaching Tips” newsletter. The article is focusing on teacher- parent attitudes as there is the initial contact with parents in the first month.

“In order to turn this around so that it is not detrimental to their child, your student, here are a few suggestions for you as their teacher:

1. You must continually acknowledge achievement by recognizing students who function at a high academic level. This is proof that we are teaching and your students are learning. If we want parents to know that we are doing our job properly, we must also acknowledge and reward student improvement in their attitude and behaviour. Most people look at achievers as excellent role models and want to copy them. That's why recognizing their successes acts as a powerful motivator for your students and their parents. That’s why you should never group students with learning difficulties together - no role models to follow.

Remember, also, that excelling in sports or other activities are opportunities to provide great recognition as well.

2. We must always keep parents informed and offer help continually. Be consistent - let them know about their child's achievements and improvements. Remember to change parents' negative attitudes, acknowledge students' progress openly.

3. Inform parents of test results, special assignment and project marks. Don't keep them in the dark. When report cards are sent home, you don't want an irate parent calling you saying "I wasn't aware. Why didn't you let me know my child was having problems (or failing)"?

Call, email, or see parents in person. Telling them what's happening (in a professional and tactful manner) with their child's progress will build positive parent feelings. Believe me!

4. Another way is to acknowledge another teacher's excellence. If another teacher is doing a great job to promote a child's progress, make the parents aware of it. Be professional, honest and sincere about the other teachers.

It's easy to resent or ignore negative parent attitudes. But who's the big loser in the end ... their child, your student! This kind of behaviour is WRONG (on our part). We need to consider what WE (as teachers) can do to improve the situation.”

 Danny Krumholz