Strategies for Business Education

Strategies for Business Education

Kathy Gase

• Substitute, substitute, substitute! – Hand out business cards each time you sub

• Job Fairs• Apply to personnel and complete all

required steps– All the info you need should be on the

school’s web site– Maintain contact with folks at the school

where you want to teach

Job Hunting 101

The Hiring Process• Application• Resume• Portfolio• Interviews

– Team– Principal– Department Head– Video taped

• Thank you note• Offer/Acceptance• Background

check/Fingerprints• Contract/Board

Approval

Important People• Secretaries• Custodians• Technician• Security• Counselors• Cafeteria Workers

• Bus Drivers• Textbook Coordinator• Librarian• Nurse• PTA• Business Leaders

Professionalism• Join a professional organization and get

insurance• What can get you fired?• What principals’ look for during a PDAS

evaluation.

Carl Who?• Career & Technical Education Funding• Documentation / surveys• Certifications• Internships• Sub Pops

Meetings & Staff Development• Faculty• Department• Team• Summer Conference• Global Edge Tech Prep• ARDS• Clubs

Administrative Duties• Gradebook• Attendance• ARD Documentation• ISS & AEP Assignments• Parent Contact• Office Referrals• Policies

ARDS• Modifications• Behavior Plans• Special Services• Summer Program• Paperwork• What is an ARD• Why is a CTE Teacher needed.

Other Duties• Pep Rallies• Club Advisor• Public Relations• Grant writer• Hallways, Cafeteria, Outside, Parking Lot,

Bus• Emergency Procedures

Traditional:6-7 periods in one dayUsually 50 minutes per classGood for Keyboarding, BCIS, and Intro classesBlock:4 classes per day – A/B daysUsually 90 minutes per classGood for project based curriculumsModified: combination of the two

Traditional vs. Block Schedules

• Post assignments in the same place and same format every day

• Have a warm-up activity they are to begin as soon as they walk in

• The procedures govern what they do and they understand how the class functions. Procedures offer security as well as routine

• Demonstrate – rehearse – reinforce your procedures until they are habits

Classroom Procedures

• Samples• Use of the board – consistency• Warm-ups• Projector use• Be prepared to “troubleshoot” around the room• Print, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners

get their needs met in our classes

Lesson Plans

• Especially any involving technology• Organize yourself – find a system that

works for you• Make sure you have all the files or

supplies you need• Once is not enough to master a new skill• Constantly evaluate your lesson plans to

improve them

Practice Your Lessons

• The goal is to keep all of your students busy and engaged all period, every day, and all year

• Have plenty of activities prepared for emergency or substitute use

• Students will misbehave if they have nothing to do

• Have work for speedy students or use them as peer tutors

Over Plan Every Lesson

• Know your district guidelines as well as state laws

• Know your support within your school• Plan modifications vs. grade modifications• READ your IEPs. If what you need isn’t

there, seek it out• DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

Modifications of Instruction

Physical – wheelchair, room for an aide, special equipment needs

Learning aides – large print books, magnification or color shields, sunglasses, seating position to see or hear better, highlighters, teacher trade notes

Modifications: tests read, modify number of choices, modify number of problems, unable to use scantrons, write on versions, modify grading points, notes provided

A modified grade is essential if they are modified in all core subjects

Special Education

May use dictionaries in class, but not on testsSince our classes are very visual – diagrams,

projectors – they tend to do wellAssign a peer tutorSeat near teacher or so you can see their

monitorOften seek help before / after schoolDon’t ask if they understand, ask them to restate

what you just said

ESL

Growing population at many schoolsMay not have much computer experience but

are afraid to look “dumb” by asking for helpPassive learners - want teacher to provide every

directionNeed visual aides and short directionsNeed realistic examples – relate it to careers in

which they are interestedAssign a peer tutorSeat near the teacher to maintain eye contact

and reinforcement

At Risk

• Seat near the teacher to keep eye contact and reinforcement / redirection

• Seat on the end of a row or away from distractions – especially windows and doors

• Surround them with good role models and a peer tutor

• Have them keep an assignment book or planner• They get easily frustrated and may daydream or

want to quit

ADD/ADHD

• Effective teachers manage their classrooms. Ineffective teachers discipline their classrooms.

• The problem is not discipline in the classroom, it is lack of procedures and routines.

• Set high expectations from the first day. High expectations = high results.

• Institute a clear discipline policy and enforce it consistently.

Classroom Management

• Be a benevolent dictator• Be approachable and askable• Hear reasonable requests• Demo how to question grades• Treat each student as an individual• Model desired attitudes and behaviors

Be Firm – But Flexible and Fair

• No matter what they say or do• Some teens enjoy “shock value”• Learn when to laugh, when to ignore, and when

to discipline• You need withitness to survive in the classroom• Know what is going on in every corner of the

room at all times• Don’t turn your back on them or get distracted

by teacher duties

Keep Your Cool. . .

• Turning off the monitor or locking workstation• Keyboard on or beside CPU• Notes on color paper• Check hiding places• Pulling CPUs forward• Monitor Task Bars• NetSupport and similar programs

Classroom Strategies – Some Learned the Hard Way!

• Watch project drives• Use of template drives• Headers / Footers• Headphone use• Disks/CDs/USB fobs• Food, drinks, and gum in the lab• Grooming

More Strategies

• Crosswalks• Keyboarding changes to Touch System Data

Entry• BCIS – I and II changes to Business

Information Management I• Introduction to Business changes to Principles

of Business, Marketing and Finance• Business Law – same name, new TEKS

(some may have grade level restrictions)

New TEKS

• Know when to stop to recharge yourself physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually

• Keep yourself healthy• Know when to say “no”• Know when to ask for help• Don’t let them take advantage of the new

kid

Personal Development

Working with students and seeing their creativity

Teaching them skills they will be able to apply to real life and that make them employable

Activating their interests in the business world – buying a car, filling out job applications, writing a resume

Seeing their pleasure when a project really turns out great

What We Enjoy the Most. . .

• The amount of emotional and situational problems students have today that takes away from their ability to concentrate on school

• Co-workers who are stuck in old school management styles and thinking and won’t update their information or skills

• A department head who did not take initiative and was threatened by new ideas

What Surprised Us the Most. . .

A lack of time to do what really needs to be doneThe amount of time you spend outside the

school day completing your work or planning your lessons

The lack of supervision by administrators – you seldom see them

Parents – some are very supportive and some will tell you it is your problem. They don’t know how to deal with their kid either

Surprised Us the Most, Cont. . .

Please feel free to contact me if I can offer any support to you.

Kathy GaseEmail: [email protected]

Contact Information