Tips Archive » Teaching Techniques » Thinking Skills

• Student Directed Learning (5 tips)
• Test Taking and Study Skills (10 tips)
• Puzzles and Mind Benders (7 tips)
• School to Work Connections (21 tips)

Student Directed Learning

Using the Dictionary in the Classroom

From Cara Christensen, a fourth grade teacher at Keeney School in Manchester, Connecticut:

"I have an old school desk in the back of my classroom and on top of it sits a very old and large dictionary. Attached to the desk is a sign that reads, 'Can't spell a word? Don't know what it means? Ask Mr. Webster, but please handle with care'. Consequently, my students visit the desk consistently without having to be dragged. They are also very eager to patch up the well worn, very old Mr. Webster when he starts coming apart!"

Drawing Conclusions with Blue's Clues

From Terri Berning, a fifth grade teacher at Marion Elementary School in Maria Stein, Ohio:

"One day the students and I were discussing the subject of Blue's Clues. The show is all about drawing conclusions, which is a skill with which the students were having problems. We examined the show and talked more about the skill. By the end of the lesson we were singing the show's theme song. 'We just drew conclusions, we just drew conclusions, we just drew conclusions because we're very smart'. My fifth grade students had a ball singing and dancing! The skill was reinforced in a fun way and the students began to understand the skill".

Guided Reading and Literacy Centers

From Aubrey Albert, a first grade teacher at Walker's Grove Elementary School in Plainfield, Illinois:

"I have five literacy centers where children work while I am instructing my guided reading group. At each center there is a group of four or five students working together on a common literacy task: writing center (journals or story starter), listening center (books on tape), working with words center (using letter tiles and building upon word chunks), pointing out words around the room or writing words on dry erase boards with a partner or browsing boxes (leveled classroom library books that students have been taught how to choose their 'just right' books to share with their group), and a literature circle group (read a book quietly, write information to share with your group, share the author, title and favorite part of the book with the group). Each center has a team leader. The members of each group are mixed in their reading abilities so that the upper level students can mentor the lower level students. The members are instructed to direct all questions to the group leader. If the leader does not know the answer, they can come and ask me. If a team leader is called out of their group for guided reading, they choose a substitute to act on their behalf during their absence. This system is possible with a lot of practice."

Independent Thinkers

From Roxanne Ross, a first grade teacher at Percy Priest Elementary School, Nashville, Tennessee:

"Standards demand that content be placed in an environment where children discover processes and results on their own. Whenever children raise a question, I allow them the opportunity to answer themselves. Children truly learn when we allow them to make their own decisions, discover knowledge and learn by trial and error. It is the independent thinker that is successful in life. While it may seem chaotic at first, soon children begin to function independently and successfully."

Student Control of Learning

From a Spanish teacher at Mt. Vernon High School, Mt. Vernon, Washington:

"I design an activity that offers opportunity for personal expression and that will require students to use a small piece of information that they DON'T have, such as a vocabulary word or a verb tense. Once they realize they need to know that, they will want to learn it because it has become their decision to learn it, not mine. Things acquired in this way seem to stick much better."

Test Taking and Study Skills

Understanding Test Directions

From Faye Smith, a fourth grade teacher at Lamar Elementary School in Augusta, Georgia:

"In a few weeks, the students in my county will be taking standardized tests. My students are reading well below grade level but are still expected to master fourth grade skills. To improve test scores, I am putting emphasis on reading and understanding test directions. Test directions are written on their 'Positive #2 Pencils' that are taped to their desks. Two to three times a week, students read the directions and then interpret what they mean. I give supporting examples on the board."

Daily Test Review

From Martha Baughman, a third grade teacher at Swansea Elementary School in Swansea, South Carolina:

"I help students prepare for standardized tests by providing a short daily review each morning. I use questions that are formatted like the type of test they are required to take. The skills we review increase in difficulty as the students learn new things."

Standardized Test Challenges

From a seventh grade teacher in Illinois:

"Some of our seventh grade tests measure curriculum my school teaches in eighth grade. What a challenge! Some of us stop what we are doing and teach mini-units on the topics during the month preceding the tests. Our other option is to ignore the tests and include in our end of the year reports that the concepts were not taught during that year. A future option might be to switch our curriculum, despite the philosophy that the concepts on the tests are developmentally inappropriate for the current grade level. Gee!"

Testing Practice

From Marty Crutcher, a third grade teacher at Love Chapel School in Erwin, Tennessee:

"I prepare my students for standardized tests beginning in September in several ways. I prepare all tests and quizzes, including spelling, in a standardized format. With my math chapter tests, I require that the paper showing work and checking be turned in. That lets me see where mistakes are made for re-teaching purposes and teaches students to get in the habit of copying the problem down and checking it on the extra paper. I make English quizzes in a paragraph form with the incorrect information underlined with a letter above it, just as in our standardized tests. I make my tests tricky, so students will realize that sometimes they must look more carefully than they first thought. As a result of all this preparation, when March tests begin, my students are comfortable with the format. The week before the tests we take a nice break from all this to allay the pressure. My class has practiced all year and the tests are like the final basketball game in a tournament."

Standardized Test Formats

From Margaret Johnson, an English and French teacher at West Las Vegas High School in Las Vegas, New Mexico:

"One of the major problems with standardized tests is the format. After I present information, I tell my students how the test will find out whether they know the information and give them examples. For many of my students, concentrating for the tests gives them headaches. I advise them that this procedure lasts for parts of two days and that their teachers will go easy on them for the remainder of the testing days."

Standardized Test Vocabulary and Questioning

From Patti Ralabate, a speech-language pathologist from Danbury, Connecticut:

"We've realized that sometimes our students don't do as well on the standardized state tests as we think they should because they are not familiar with the test's vocabulary or questioning format. For example, we use predicting outcomes while the tests may ask the student to forecast an ending. To make sure our students will understand the language used in our state mastery tests, everyone in our building participated in professional development sessions about how to ask questions and what language to use. I have a chart of the types of questioning used on the tests posted in my room to remind me."

Standardized Test Familiarity

From Elaine Wargo, a teacher from Perry, Ohio:

"I believe the key to a good working relationship with parents and students, when it comes to testing, is there should be no surprises. Parents should be assured that you will do your best to prepare their child for this assessment. Have students and parents attempt to answer sample test questions at the beginning of the school year, and throughout the year, so they are aware of the format of the test. Show parents the types of activities and materials you will use to get their children prepared. Keep students constantly abreast of what they are expected to do and help them accomplish this with your activities. Have students use the identical rubrics used on state tests to grade their own work. Ask them how they would grade this answer and explain why you agree or disagree with their assessment. Show them samples of other students' work so they can be exposed to good and poor attempts. Give them test-taking skills that apply to the type of test they will be taking. (Standardized-fill in the bubble tests are very different from state proficiency-short and long answer, give your opinion type questions) I think comfort and positive attitude go a long way to ease parent, student and teacher anxiety."

Sticky Note Taking

From Penny Lowe, a fifth grade teacher at Dutile Elementary School in Billerica, Massachusetts:

"I find that using square sticky notes for note taking is a wonderful way to keep my students focused. They use them to keep notes on specific sections of our social studies text and as a place to write short chapter summaries in the novels we are reading. The notes stay with the section read or attached to the last page of the chapter. The sticky notes are especially useful when reviewing for tests or preparing book reports."

Removing Temptation

From Susan Reid, a math teacher at Olive Branch Middle School in Olive Branch, Mississippi:

"My students work in groups of four and during test times there is quite a temptation for eyes to wander. I make my students responsible for keeping their papers covered. Whenever I see answers uncovered, I quietly place a small red square of construction paper on the student's desk. This is a warning and a reminder. If a second red square is placed on the same student's desk during the same test, one point is deducted. Each time thereafter, another point is deducted. I never have had to deduct more than one point and I no longer have to nag the class to keep their answers covered."

Positive #2 Pencils

From Faye Smith, a fourth grade teacher at Lamar Elementary in Augusta, Georgia:

"I give my students tips on how to pass standardized and teacher made tests. To reinforce those tips, I give each student two #2 pencils. On each pencil I print a test taking idea such as 'Read and Follow Directions'. These messages help my students to remember their test taking tips and will hopefully increase their test scores."

Puzzles And Mind Benders

Puzzles

From Christy Goodney, a social sciences teacher at Dripping Springs High School in Austin, Texas:

"I buy puzzles that relate to the subject I am teaching. For example if I'm teaching World Geography, I buy a map of the world. I keep one puzzle out at a time and tell the students they may only work on the puzzle when all their work is complete. I also tell the students that I am going to glue the puzzle together and display it in the classroom when they're finished. I have students who rarely finish an assignment, finish their work in order to work on the puzzle. I have yet to have any pieces come up missing. All the kids want to see the puzzle hung up in the room when it is finished. I write the month and year the puzzle was completed and hang the puzzles up all year instead of posters."

It Can Be

From Beverly Whitson, a third grade teacher at Lindley Park School in Asheboro, North Carolina:

"When I have some time at the end of the day, I play IT CAN BE with my class. This is a math game where the child holds up an addition sum and the class has to give the problem. For example, if the card says 17, someone called on might say, "9 + 8." If the flashcard says 8 + 9, the child holding the card would say, "IT COULD BE BUT IT'S NOT." If the child says, "8 + 9", the child holding the card would say, 'IT COULD BE AND IT IS." The children have to give the problem exactly as it's written on the card. If a child gives a completely incorrect answer such as 9 + 6, the response is, "IT COULDN'T BE." The child that answers correctly gets to be the next one to hold up the flashcard. This is a great activity for enhancing math thinking skills."

Teaching Thinking Skills

From Susan Reid, a seventh and eighth grade algebra teacher at Olive Branch Middle School in Olive Branch, Mississippi:

"I gather puzzlers and problems from the Internet, middle school math magazines, old textbooks and other publications. Each day, I put a challenging problem on the overhead and give my students time to work on the problem. When I call 'time', I place a small square of tag board on the desks of those who got the correct answer. The students write their names on the squares and place them in a can. I draw out one name and that student has to explain the method he or she used to get the correct answer. The student receives a prize for a good explanation. Then, I ask for other students to share their explanations. The students benefit from having to explain their thinking process and from seeing multiple methods of solving problems. I am amazed at the variety of methods they use to solve problems."

Daily Brainstretcher

From Kim Jury, a sixth grade reading teacher from Perry Middle School in Perry, Ohio:

"To begin each class, I choose two students who have correctly written down the homework in their school agenda and are sitting quietly. These students are the leaders of the daily 'brainstretcher'. The 'brainstretchers' are from the game Outburst and Outburst Junior or created by myself or by the students. They always relate to the content of the class for that day. One student is the card checker while the other is the one-minute timer and the name caller. As each student 'stretches their brain' to correctly name all ten items on the card, relating to the overall topic, they must also be very good listeners since they cannot repeat what someone else says. I find that this two-minute activity has a definite purpose in the classroom. It motivates all levels of students, it evolves around and reinforces the content for the day, it improves listening skills, it promotes cooperative learning, it enhances creativity and visualization and it lets each student have a crack at being the teacher for a short period of time."

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

From Charlotte Florez, a fifth and sixth grade teacher at Gearhart Elementary School in Bly, Oregon:

"To liven up the end of the day, I bring out the game Mind Trap and select a card to read to the class. The challenge sometimes is so intriguing that I send the class home to ponder the clue overnight. The Mind Trap cards range in challenge levels and all the students have an opportunity to solve the question. The students enjoy trying to solve the mysteries and I don't feel that the last few minutes before the bell are wasted."

Puzzles for Process

From Beth McLeod, a health instructor in Ellsworth, Wisconsin:

"I use puzzles as an introductory activity for setting up cooperative groups, or starting a new unit. I find it builds thinking skills, cooperation, and self analysis/reflection. I use puzzle for each cooperative group I have. I use puzzles of 25 to 100 pieces depending on the age and ability of the class. I set puzzles out on group tables, just the pieces, no picture of what the puzzle will look like put together. Then I pick up pieces from each puzzle -- enough to give each student one piece -- and put them into a container. As students enter the room they take a puzzle piece from the container and find the table that has the puzzle their piece fits into. They start putting the puzzle together right away, which keeps them busy while other students join them. Before long the whole class is engaged in putting their puzzles together in their different groups. To keep the puzzle pieces from getting mixed up, I buy puzzles that are different in design and color. After they finish putting together the puzzles, I ask them to discuss these questions:

1. How did your group cooperate to get your puzzle together?
2. Did you get your puzzle done in the allotted time?
3. How did you feel trying to put a puzzle together without seeing a picture of what it was supposed to look like?
4. Did everyone in the group feel the same way?
5. What did you learn about yourself working in a group?
6. What did you learn about your learning style?"

Mind Bending Monday

From Faith Wallace, an eighth grade English teacher at Orange Avenue School in Cranford, New Jersey:

"Critical thinking skills are an important part of everyday life. To enable my students to enhance their critical thinking skills, I have established a weekly program called Mind Bender. Each Monday, I post a new mind bender question which requires close reading and interpretation. Most of the time, the students overlook the obvious. Each student can make one guess each day. Each guess must have the student's name, date and period. Students place their guesses in a special box on my desk. The students wait anxiously all week to hear the answer and many of them make a guess every day. At the end of the marking period, the student with the most correct answers wins a prize. Mind benders can be found in different places, including the book Improve Your Lateral Thinking by Paul Sloane and Des MacHale."

School to Work Connections

Students Get Paid

From Wanda Samson, a business teacher at Fremont High School in Fremont, Nebraska:

"At the beginning of each quarter, students in my advanced computer classes create a time card for themselves. Each day students record their attendance just as one would at a job. Each class period counts four hours. On Fridays this information is transferred to a spreadsheet representing a payroll register. Formulas are put into the payroll register to calculate total hours for the week, gross pay, deductions, and net pay. Since part-time workers receive no benefits, there is no pay for snow days, school vacation, sick days, doctor's appointments, etc. There is also a deduction of � hour for tardiness. At the end of the quarter, students who have earned the most pay receive valuable bonus points. Students quickly learn that being late or absent does not 'pay'."

Student Checkbooks

From Marge Mellon, a learning disabilities teacher at Willowick Middle School in Willowick, Ohio:

"My students learn to use checkbooks. I get a check company to donate starter checkbooks that have a few pages of a register and about ten checks. The kids earn money for their account by doing homework and completing tests. They earn ten dollars for each homework assignment and their test grade percentage equals the amount of dollars they can add to their accounts. (For example, 80% = $80.00) The students learn to purchase with their checkbooks too. They look through newspaper ads and select items they'd like to buy. They must calculate the tax, subtract in the check register and write the check out to the store. My students love this unit on checkbooks and they learn real world skills."

Writing In History

From Mark Van Over, an American history teacher at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Arizona:

"Since one can argue that specific historical data is not needed in the everyday workplace, I bypass the argument entirely by focusing on writing. I emphasize to students that the knowledge they gain in American history courses is not simply factual, but broad in basis to help them understand human nature. I assign writing to analyze this in each of our units. I further emphasize the importance of written communication beyond school by reminding students that we are a communication-oriented society. Email and faxes need to be written clearly and concisely. I incorporate various aspects of technology in many assignments. Students report research by using a Power Point presentation or by building a Web page. Through this, they learn the information and a valuable technological skill in the workplace."

Wanted: Basic Skills

From an eighth grade teacher:

"I researched the wages and background requirements for a variety of jobs to share with my students. All the best-paying high school diploma jobs require testing for placement on the hiring list and these tests focus on the basic skills students are expected to learn. I explain to my students that employers want to know a worker can be trained to do the job. If students can prove they paid attention and learned in school, that's pretty good evidence that they will learn the skills needed on the job. When students hear that, they become more enthusiastic about their lessons."

Importance of PowerPoint

From Jean Babb, a seventh grade teacher from California:

"When I teach my students how to use PowerPoint, I tell them how my husband and daughter use them at work. I also show them some slides written by a researcher from a study my students participated in two years ago."

Weekly Paychecks

From Shannon Dolan, a teacher at the Serendipity School of the Arts in Tequesta, Florida:

"I connect the classroom with the world of work by giving out weekly paychecks instead of grades. Students receive points on their paycheck with which they can buy certain rewards in life. Rewards consist of being first in line, extra recess time, sitting close to the teacher during story time, etc. The weekly paychecks are a combination of student grades, attitude and effort."

School is a Job

From Zee Ann Poerio, a third grade teacher at St. Louise de Marillac School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

"At the beginning of the school year I tell my students to think of school as their job. What goes on in school everyday can be applied to the real world of work. If students are talking when someone else is talking I say, 'If we were at work and you were talking while your boss was presenting some important material, what do you think your boss would be thinking about you? What if you were in a conference with your co-workers and you were carrying on a conversation with the person sitting next to you, or staring out the window, or taking apart your pen, while someone else was sharing information with the group, what would the other people be thinking about you?' For late or missed assignments I say, 'What if these were important reports for your job, what do you think your boss would do?' If a student arrives without a pencil or paper or leaves books at home I say, 'What would happen if you went to work one day and didn't bring the tools you needed to do your job?' It really gets them thinking. As the year goes on I'll joke about it, 'I hope no one turns in their reports late, it's almost time to give out raises.' Or, 'I am really going to be watching to see who pays attention at the staff meetings, the company needs a new Vice-President."

Connection Questions

From Donna Berkhof, a tech prep coordinator at Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium in Great Falls, Montana:

"An easy way to encourage students to make the connection to the world of work is to ask questions such as these at the end of the day or at the completion of a chapter/unit.

1. What workers use the information (or knowledge, process, tools, etc.) that we used today in their occupations?
2. How could you use the knowledge you gained today outside of school? Who uses this knowledge to make a living?
3. What future jobs can you envision where workers would use the subject matter (procedures, activities, or problem-solving techniques, etc) that we explored today?

This works great at any grade level, requires no prep time, takes very little class time and involves no paperwork! Questions such as these create a mind set whereby students think about how they can apply what they are learning outside the classroom."

Technical Writing

From Randy Swingle, an English teacher at Athens Area High School in Athens, Pennsylvania:

"I apply life skills vocabulary and writing into my curricula. Using the language that students will need to understand in the workplace, I teach form writing. My students learn to complete employment applications, create resumes, fill out W-4 forms, do banking and other personal finance, complete tax forms and medical insurance papers plus much more. I try to have a business leader come into the classroom at least once a month to discuss the business importance of the subject we are studying. I also incorporate the daily newspaper into the curriculum. Some good workplace literature textbooks are AMERICAN LITERATURE FOR LIFE AND WORK, BRITISH LITERATURE FOR LIFE AND WORK, and LITERATURE FOR LIFE AND WORK I AND II."

Groundhog/Shadow Day

From Michele Slusher, a kindergarten teacher at Woodbine Christian Academy in Nashville, Tennessee:

"Turn Groundhog Day into Shadow Day: a day during which the parents take their children (and maybe a few friends) to work and let them be their shadow. The children get to experience a day at work and see first hand how their schoolwork applies to the real world. We are making it a school wide event, hoping all will be able to participate."

Future Career Aspirations

From Dr. Ada A. Walls, a third and fourth grade teacher at Patterson-Kennedy School in Dayton, Ohio:

"At the beginning of the school year, I ask each of my students about their future career aspirations and parallel their career area with a classroom helper position. Students who are interested in becoming artists are assigned the class artist position and are given the task of making signs, posters and bulletin board displays. Students who wish to become teachers are student tutors and hopeful police officers become peer conflict mediators. Future scientists help me set up classroom science experiments and those interested in business fields become the class secretary or treasurers. Future firefighters assist during fire drills. Whenever possible I try to connect my students' future career aspirations with rolls within the classroom. The last day of each school week is designated as Pay Day and students are given a penny for each day they worked. They place their earnings into a classroom piggy bank and the treasurer counts and deposits the money into our school savings bank. The students plan how they will spend their savings on an end-of-the-year project. In the past, savings have been spent on a pizza party, coupons from a local fast food restaurant, an electric pencil sharpener and a charitable donation to an earthquake relief fund."

Strategies for Success

From Cindy Tennimon, a history and computer applications teacher at Goodwyn Junior High in Montgomery, Alabama:

"I spend a lot of time connecting what we do in the classroom with the world of work. For example, students' supplies are their tools for their current job. If they are unprepared, I remind them that in the working world they would not be able to do their jobs if they forgot their tools. I talk to them about how school is their job and their effort and hard work reflect the success they will have when they enter the working world. Establishing good habits now will bring them rewards in the future. Their Pay Day is when I hand out progress reports or report cards. Their effort is directly reflected in the grades they earned. We discuss how far they can go in the world of work with the pay they earned. Discussions of the workplace are supported by a yearlong effort to teach my students strategies for success in all their classes such as test taking, note taking and listening skills as well as personal goal setting. By the end of the year most are taking responsibility for their performance, which reflects growth and maturity. In junior high this is sometimes a monumental achievement!"

Career Research Project

From Paulette Jeffress, an English teacher at Person High School in Roxboro, North Carolina:

"My students are required to work on a career research paper during their junior English semester. The requirements include filling out an application, interviewing parents, taking the ASVAB, completing an interest inventory, counseling with the school-to-work coordinator, writing a research paper, interviewing someone who is currently employed in the career researched, writing business and thank you letters, memo and reflection. Most of my students agree that this is an applicable and worthwhile project."

Guest Speakers

From Stella Bock, a third grade teacher in Cranford, New Jersey:

"Every week, I choose one of my students to bring in a guest speaker on Friday afternoon. The speakers are usually parents, grandparents or family friends and they speak about how school studies have helped them succeed in their job. We've had a nurse come in and speak about the importance of math in measuring medicine and an engineer show how math, art and design help him do his job. We've also had a lobbyist, newspaper worker, storeowner and even a chandelier designer explain the link between school and the real world. Some guests bring in a collection or a hobby and focus on how their schooling helped them in their endeavors. We follow up with huge thank you cards for the guests."

Encouraging Send-Offs

From Mary Beth Solano, a third grade teacher at Timnath Elementary in Timnath, Colorado:

"My students are just starting to realize that there's a world beyond their playground so I try to connect their lives with the world of work on a daily basis. At dismissal, I always write 'Goodbye, future ___________' on the chalkboard. I fill in the blank with a top of the line profession that would require a college education, leadership skills and lots of training. I hope to encourage them from settling for entry level work and moving their imaginations off of the typical professional athletes' block."

Job Shadow Experience

From Margaret Williams, an LD teacher at Lake Mills Middle School in Lake Mills, Wisconsin:

"Our school coordinates a Job Shadow Day with Take Your Daughter To Work week in April. We chose this week for job shadowing because businesses often plan special events in conjunction with this national program. We encourage as many students as possible to participate. Volunteers assist two teacher coordinators place students at job sites if students would like to shadow but don't have a place to go. They must provide their own transportation and the school keeps a record of where each student is shadowing. Students who have special opportunities on alternate dates are encouraged to go with the understanding that missed work will be completed. We make visits to the local businesses to take photos of our shadowing students for the newspaper. They fill out an evaluation form in their social studies classes and write thank you notes during language arts. Most student comments are very positive and some have even found summer jobs through their shadow experience."

Collaboration in the Classroom

From Kathy Turnball, an American history teacher at Indianola Middle School in Indianola, Iowa:

American history isn't always easy to connect with the world of work so I attempt to connect classroom procedures or situations instead. When my students walk into the room and see that their desks are separated they know that they are in 'private offices'. This means they are in a testing or working situation that requires total independence and no interaction with others. When assigning partners or group work, I spend time talking about how they would act in the workplace when asked by their boss to do a group project or presentation with other employees. If an employee is absent or 'out sick' the other members of the group are expected to pick up the slack and still complete the project on time. Bosses expect their employees to work with those they like and those they dislike. I believe these situations make my students think about their performance in the classroom."

School Store

From Debra Harmon, a special needs instructor at McLoud High School in McLoud, Oklahoma:

"During lunch, my students run a school store in our classroom selling candy and school supplies. They learn to operate the cash register, count money, do inventory, interact with customers and read invoices. The students vote on how to spend their profits. They've gone on field trips and purchased yearbooks, wind suits, spirit shirts and computer equipment. This is a very educational and transitional project from which the students benefit."

Language in the Workplace

From Melissa Montz, an English teacher at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama:

"In conjunction with my students' research papers, they must talk to their parents about how they use language or composition in their career fields. This exercise really helps students see that the grammar and composition they study really does have relevance to the workplace."

Artistic Careers

From Sheri Shortridge, an art teacher from Colorado:

"I do my best to connect the topics my students study in art with careers they can do in the future. Clay can be connected to making dishes and sculpture can be associated with baking and the designs needed for the molds. Planning designs are skills needed in architecture and fashion. Lettering is needed for sign making and advertising. I also have professional artists come and visit the classroom. We've hosted silver smiths, sculptors, painters, clayboard artists and inventors. It's important that my students know that art can become more than just a hobby."

Jobs vs. Careers

From Jay Edwards, a resource teacher at Hemet Elementary School in Hemet, California:

"Very few of my students understand the difference between a job and a career. To demonstrate the difference, I pass out newspapers and ask them to find a career. They always turn right to the want ads. I explain that those are jobs not careers. Jobs are what you need when you've been laid off, your rent is due or your kids are sick. Then we turn to the front section of the paper and look at the problems that make the news. I tell them that they can devote the rest of their lives to solving problems they enjoy and someone will pay them for it! These are careers! The students then search the newspapers for problems, brainstorm solutions and create careers that meet their needs. Some choose to write their solutions in the form of a business proposal."