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Character Education Discussions and Activities

Character Education Discussions and Activities

Tell about a time you told the truth in spite of the consequences. If you could relive that situation, would you do anything differently? Explain.  If you don’t agree with a rule or policy, do you usually voice your opinion? What do you think is the best way to voice your opinion in this situation?  You see a fellow student looking through someone else’s belongings. List different ways you could handle this situation.  You had a busy schedule one night and failed to get your homework done. What is the best way to handle this situation? Create a simple cartoon strip that illustrates a silly excuse for not completing homework.  You are standing with a group of students who are talking about another student. What can you do to stop the gossip? Write dialog in which you defend a “talked about” student.  You lent lunch money over a week ago based on the promise that you would be paid back the next day. You learn that since that time the borrower has spent money on other things before paying you back. What would you do? Write rules of etiquette for borrowing.  How do you act when you really get angry? Describe your angry self from your point of view and from the point of view of others watching you.  Imagine that someone has said something nice to you. How do you usually receive a compliment? Is there a better way? Explain.  What is the difference between conceit and pride in oneself? Is there a difference between bragging and acknowledging that you are good at something?  Imagine you are very disappointed because you have unsuccessfully run for class president. A good friend has won instead. How would you treat that person? Would you talk with your friend about losing? Why or why not?  Select three classroom rules and list the consequences for not following them. Why do we have rules? Do you always have to follow them? What do you think is the best way to enforce classroom rules?  A bill of rights is a list of basic freedoms people have. Create a bill of rights for students. Create another one for teachers.  Flags represent countries. Design a flag to represent you. Write a description of its different parts.  Identify someone in history that you respect or admire. List his or her admirable characteristics. Write a eulogy (funeral speech) for that person.  What student behaviors are needed in our school to make it a place where learning can happen? Is there any way to encourage those behaviors in students?  What is trust? How can you show people that you are trustworthy? Write an advertisement for yourself as a friend. In the ad, highlight your trustworthiness.  A friend asks you if his or her outfit looks good. You don’t think that it does. How can you tell this person what you really think without hurting his or her feelings?  You have just purchased a shirt. After leaving a store, you notice that the clerk gave you too much change. What would you do? Why?  Think of a friend. Describe his or her strengths. How do your strengths complement that person’s strengths?  You are playing a sport and accidentally hurt another player. What do you do? Why?  How have other people shown respect for you? How did that make you feel toward those people?  Create a simple time schedule that shows what you did yesterday. Now create an improved schedule to show how you could have planned your time better. 

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Mathematics Formative Assessment

This looks like a keeper.Mathematics Formative Assessment http://www.corwin.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book232921

—- Sent from Zite personalized magazine iPhone app. Available for free in the App Store. www.zite.com

Sent from my iPhone

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Positive Psychology Applied to Social Media

Positive Psychology Applied to Social Media By Frannie Mitchell

@AssistEducation 

http://Assist-Education.com It’s what we all wish for our children. It’s referred to lately as flourishing or thriving. It’s one of Americans’ inalienable rights. It’s the pursuit of happiness, and it’s a hot topic applicable to many fields, from psychology to business to education. Social media experts, in your interactions with clients and customers, can benefit from the knowledge of how to grow your own happiness. Can you really capture that warm and fuzzy feeling: happiness? The Positive Psychology movement--relatively new in the history of psychology--has studied the science of happiness and thriving in the past couple of decades. Martin E. P. Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania and founder of Positive Psychology, rocked the profession by suggesting psychology spent too much time trying to relieve people's misery, and not enough time figuring out what gave them joy. His work has found that people don't just strive to "feel good." Humans also seek positive relationships, meaning, accomplishment, and engagement, the feeling of being utterly absorbed in a task. Seligman identified the character traits of optimism, gratitude, zest, curiosity, and love as contributing to overall life satisfaction, no matter what their your age, background, or income. And the great news: All these strengths can be nurtured and encouraged. What a refreshing viewpoint in this time with economic decline and natural disasters surrounding us.  Additionally, a model in the counseling psychology profession-Solution-Focused Brief Counseling-draws upon each person’s ingrained ability to deal effectively with problems. Part of the solution-focused counselor's task is to discover whatever a person already does which might contribute to the resolution of a problem. The second basic idea is that knowing where you want to get makes getting there much more likely. Solution-focused practitioners questions about what life might be like if the problem were solved. As the answers to these questions unfold, both counselor and client begin to get a picture of where they should be heading. The clearer this becomes the greater the possibility of resolving the issue. These two schools of thought together-Positive Psychology and Solution-Focused Counseling-complement one another to affirm that everything we need, even given the myriad of problems that come your way in personal life, business, and the social media profession, is within each one of us. We just need to nurture it. Although rooted in psychology, these skills are accessible to experts in communication- in other words, social media professionals. Employ these methods, and you reap the benefits of peaceful, smooth conflict resolution, contentment, and the resulting side-benefits of improved health, creativity, and productivity.  Following is a collection of one week’s worth of action items specifically designed for social media experts. The two tasks per day are grounded in Positive and Solution-Focused psychology. So, begin the process by informally assessing your overall satisfaction with your career on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being utterly miserable and 10 being absolutely ecstatic. Then, implement the items for one week and re-assess your sense of well-being at the end of the week. I can’t wait to receive your testimonials. Expect to increase your overall outlook. Grab a hold on your power to improve your well-being, and get started with your personal Positive Psychology and Solution-Focused Week! Day One: 1. Tap into your sense of gratitude each day. Today, make a video or post a blog that showcases your favorite charity. Convey in your production how the charity aligns with your values. You’ll clarify and reinforce your beliefs in a positive direction. 2. Attend a Meet-Up and post a comment on what you genuinely enjoyed about the meeting. Also post a positive comment about the venue where the meeting was held. You’ll feel good about looking in the positive direction and about assisting the event organizer and venue manager know what went well. Day Two: 3. Use a classic Positive Psychology activity: Think of an individual that had a significant, positive impact on your life. Write a blog post to that person explaining what they did and their influence on you. Even better, visit that person and read the article to the person face-to-face. Imagine the appreciation you’ll engender through your words and your visit. 4. Think of someone you enjoyed having as a co-worker or supervisor in the past. On LinkedIn, post a positive comment about that individual. Be specific about what that person did to earn your respect. You may enjoy reuniting with that individual, and you’ll definitely make his or her day brighter. Day Three: 5. Let go of some bitterness from your past. Recall a situation that warrants your forgiveness. Consider the “offender’s” point of view and try to empathize with his or her position. Often people don’t think when they hurt others; they just act. Write a letter of forgiveness to the offender, either in an email or journal entry. Ultimately, hold onto forgiveness rather than vengeful thoughts. This will free you from wallowing in difficult memories and will lighten your emotional load. Use the freed-up energy to write a post of encouragement for someone else to forgive another. Pay it forward. 6. Identify a start-up business that you are familiar with in your area and recommend it to your Facebook friends. Explain to your friends why this particular business may be of interest to them. Day Four: 7. Tap into your sense of beauty. Choose a favorite song, locate it on Pandora or Spotify, and share it with your friends. Describe the meaning and memories the song evokes for you. 8. Locate on LinkedIn or another network an individual in transition between jobs. Connect that person with people you know in similar industries in your local area. Day Five: 9. Engage in one of the classic positive psychology exercises. At the end of each day, write down three things that went well during your day and why they went well. They need not be significant events. Post a tweet about the positive outcomes on your Twitter account. 10. Find a video that inspires you on YouTube, Vimeo, or another video site. Participate in the discussion on line and share the positive feelings and thoughts the content elicited. Day Six: 11. Think of someone who helped you advance your career. Connect with the person on LinkedIn and post words of thanks and appreciation. 12. We can find beauty in anything. Browse the proliferation of photos available on line and search for an image of an animal, nature scene, or architecture that moves you. Focus on how it uplifts your mood and your energy. Be transparent in sharing your thoughts and feelings about this type of experience. Day Seven: 13. Be conscious of your on-line persona and your real world persona. How are they the same, and how do they differ? Challenge yourself to focus on the best traits of each. Further, push yourself to post something just beyond your comfort zone to reveal a bit more of yourself to followers in your network. 14. Conflict of some magnitude will surely come your way today, whether with a client, customer, or associate. Use your new-found skill in Solution-Focused Brief Counseling to ask your client or customer how the problem would look if it were resolved. Use this as the discussion starter toward solving the conflict. Please, please share your experiences with these methods with us. I’d love to read your specific examples of positive events you generated during your Positive Psychology and Solution-Focused week. Are you curious to learn more about identifying your personal psychological strengths? Or would you like to learn the “magic” question in Solution-Focused practice? Enroll below to receive our free newsletters and invitations to upcoming webinars.  Keep in touch. Frannie Publishers Note:

Any Blogger that posts this article on their blog will receive a free invitation to our upcoming "Positive Psychology for Bloggers" webinar. Simply DM @AssistEducation on Twitter with your blog post URL, or post your link using the "Contact Us" form on http://Assist-Education.com

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Balancing Love and Limits

Ever get the feeling that raising kids is like walking a tightrope? Finding that delicate balance between love and limits is tricky, but it’s one key to effective discipline. The following ideas may help you keep from teetering. Who’s in charge? Although parents have the final word, it helps to talk with your child about the reasons behind each rule. You might say, “Bedtime is 8:30 on school nights because being well-rested helps you learn.” You can bet that kids may not agree with the limits you set, but at least they’ll know why they were set. As a visual reminder, write the rules down and post them on the refrigerator. Important tip: Simple rules are easier for children to follow and for you to enforce. Everyone’s involved When setting limits, try asking your kids for their ideas. Including them in the decision process shows them you value their opinions. You might ask, “What rules should we have for cleanup?” One of your children just might volunteer are response such as, “We all have to clean up after ourselves.” Their ownership in the decisions increases the likelihood they’ll comply. Follow through Children need to know what will happen when rules are broken. Specify the consequences up front so you don’t have to decide them in the moment of frustration. For example, tell your child, “If you play video games before homework is done, you’ll lose the games for a week.” It’s important to let them experience the results of their actions. Once they realize parents will consistently follow through with consequences, kids will generally cooperate. Limits = Love Limits give kids a sense of security because they let kids know just what you expect of them. Think about it--what an effective way to show your love!

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Friends: Oh, So Valuable

Do kids need friends? Of course they do. Think back on your best childhood friends. Think about your child’s friends. We can thank these special people for gifts more valuable than play and birthday presents. Consider these contributions... Friends help kids develop emotionally and socially. They provide chances to practice ways of relating to others Through friends, children learn how to set up rules, to make choices, and to solve conflicts. Friendships are necessary for healthy psychological development. Get this--research shows that kids with friends have better self-esteem and fewer social problems as adults than individuals without friends. On the other hand children with friendship problems more likely will feel lonely, become victims of peers, and to have trouble adjusting to school. Keep in mind that the quality of friendships is important. Peer pressure, although positive more many children can also have a downside. Kids who choose friends with positive behaviors are socially mature and better able to deal with life changes and stress. In contrast. kids whose friends engage in undesirable behaviors are at risk for also engaging in similar behaviors. Friends need to be positive role models. Learning to deal with peer pressure, competition, and differences is an essential part of development. Take note: helping children deal with pressure from friends is more important than protecting them from it. What Parents Can Do

Let your child know that you feel friendships are important.

Respect your child’s social style. Some children do best with many friends; some do best with a few close friends. Some make friends quickly; some warm up slowly.

Find ways to help your child make time for being with other children. For example, be flexible about family schedules to allow time for your child to be with friends. Offer your home or offer to accompany children on outings. Or, make specific suggestions, “You can invite somebody to go to the pool with us on Saturday.”

In our time of cell phones, social media, and those ever-present earphones, do the unthinkable--arrange time for your child to be unplugged from electronics!

Although you may sometimes feel as if you’re being too pushy by using such strategies, research shows that socially well adjusted children more often had parents who were involved in their children’s social activities. Best Ways to Help If your child has a problem with a friends, encourage him/her to talk about it and think together about possible ways to handle similar situations in the future. If your child was teased, help him plan effective ways of responding. “Character Education” (client name removed) teaches children firmly to tell the teaser how he feels about being teased, tell the teaser to stop, and calmly walk away. If your child is experiencing ongoing difficulty being with other children or making friends, seek assistance from your child’s school counselor or school psychologist who may coach your child in social skills, teach conflict resolution skills, or discuss and give feedback about peer interactions. Children need knowledgeable and supportive guides to help them get along with people, feel good about themselves, and be responsible for their actions. For most of us, our network of friends fills a significant part of this needs. Thank your friends. They give you so much!