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MNEMONICS

MNEMONICS - The Learning Point for this issue is mnemonics; which is pronounced (ni-'mä-nik). Educational psychologist have known for a long time that people use mnemonics as an effective means of processing and recalling information. The purpose of using mnemonics is to encode difficult-to-remember information in a way that is much easier to recall. People remember new information that they relate with something that is easier to remember or similar to what they already know.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, mnemonic is defined as:

1: assisting or intended to assist memory
2: of or relating to memory

The most widely used type of mnemonic is one that consists of a group of letters or a word that helps a person remember a block of information. As an example, FANBOYS is a mnemonic used by English teachers to teach their students how to remember the coordinating conjunctions, which are used to join two independent clauses: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. Another popular mnemonic is Roy G. Biv, a popular mnemonic for remembering the color sequence of rainbows: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

The mnemonic used with new recruits in the U.S. Army during basic training is Be My Little General (BMLG). It is used to help soldiers remember the order of ranking as it related to general officers.

B -(Be) - Brigadier General (one star)
M - (My) - Major General (two star)
L - (Little) - Lieutenant General (three star)
G - (General) - General (four star)

The power of the brain to process information and store data is tremendous. All that we have ever experienced on a conscious and unconscious level is stored in files within our memory banks. Retrieving that information in some kind of logical order can be difficult.

How many times have you tried to recall data from your memory that alluded you? But once you hear the answer, immediately, you commented to yourself, “I knew that" or "yeah, I remember that”.

The next time you have to prepare for a exam or something related to a class you are taking, cram the fashionable way; find a mnemonic that helps you or create your own!

Mr. DoBad and Steve Harvey 's Disney Dreamers Academy Star Encourages Student Leadership!

Mr. DoBad of Parentpoints, Incorporated does it big in Memphis Tennessee’s Orange Mound Community. To promote student leadership and academic excellence, Mr. DoBad shot a video for the hit single “Rubies of the Future” off of his recently released Motivational CD “Stand: The Time Is Now”
(click to hear sample).

The video was shot on location at Hanley Elementary under the direction of Mr. Eddie Hollis of New World Video Production. A few of Mr. DoBad's closest friends dropped by to show their support and commitment to education and strong community unity.

Co-starring in the video was Ashley Thomas of Steve Harvey’s Disney Dreamers Academy and the Tyra Banks show. Ashley played the voice of reason to balance Mr. DoBad’s many antics and tendencies to get off track with improper behavior. Also in attendance was Tennessee Senator Reginald Tate, All New America’s Dad Daron Barker, the DoBad Steppers, and the wonderful students and staff of Hanley Elementary. A special performance was given by the Hollywood Steppers, a teacher dance group consisting of members from the school. The video features a unity step (dance routine) that is performed by children, teens and adults.

"As excited as I am about assisting educators this coming school year, I am equally excited about this video and what it will mean to the kids,” says Mr. Do-Bad. “Our hope is that this message will be associated with joy, and that it will give the kids and their families a break from what they’re going through. It’s one of the reasons why we feel giving back to our community is so important.”

The video is scheduled for release October, 2008. Upon completion, The Rubies of the Future video will be distributed as a bonus component within the Rubies of the Future™ Student Leadership & Classroom Management System. Also, copies will be available for distribution to school systems throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. As the lyrics say in the chorus of the song:

It’s time to lead for our future; many have come to show us how. Start by keeping our faith above the clouds, because we’ve come to far to turn back now. We are the Rubies of the Future. All my elders lead the way, don’t let us down. Turn a rough stone into a beautiful ruby because there’s a wonderful world inside of me.

Teaching young children to practice effective leadership skills in school enables teachers to maximize their teaching time and minimize the time spent with disruptive students. Independent participation in classroom routines are established as a result of successful leadership training. Students are empowered and encouraged to use critical thinking strategies, share worthy ideas with individuals and groups, and to practice the leadership skills in their respective roles as classroom leaders.

Student leaders can also serve as models for good leadership and design and implement programs/activities under the supervision of adult sponsors. This frees the teacher to do more instructionally related work and provides opportunities for students to become stronger in the craft of leadership.

Order a CD today! Look for Mr. DoBad coming to a school or district near you!

Parents and Teachers: What's the Difference Really?

Case Study: Breaking Down Barriers

Excerpt from the book (Breaking Down Barriers for a Chance to Heal)

VITAMIN 5
Be the Home Away from Home

Question: When given the responsibility of caring for a small infant between one and six months of age, what things would we consider in providing adequate care?

Well let’s face it; caring for a newborn requires an enormous amount of time and attention. The child must be keep clean, fed, safe, held, cuddled, burped, protected, nurtured and given lots of love by the mother, father and any other members of the immediate family. Agreed?

Now what would be required if this child was left in the care of someone from your church, a relative, daycare worker, a school teacher, social worker, counselor or a member of the school support staff? There would be no difference. The overall healthy physical, emotional and mental development of this child would require the same level of responsible care. As a child progresses in life, their experiences may change in degrees based upon their level of maturity and development.

Nonetheless, they still need to receive the basic support from adults, such as self empowerment to encourage growth, boundaries and clear expectations, coaching on constructive use of time, commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies and positive self-identity.

A classroom is a home away from home. An effective classroom starts with the teacher (Parent/Adult). The teacher needs to be confident in their competence. Children are masters at spotting a fake and sniffing out fear. A lack of confidence will create an environment where the children will not be challenged. The teacher needs to be clear in expectation, firm, and most importantly caring. The classroom needs to be an environment of global respect, a sense of belonging, and safety and security

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CASE STUDY

Student’s Age: 11 Race: African American Male Grade: 5th Description of Behaviors: Student was very angry, mother is incarcerated and grandmother is raising him with two siblings, family very dysfunctional. Grandmother was released from prison, right before mother was sentenced. Student is manipulative, steals, lies, and cheats. Has no trust for adults. Feels that white adults are out to get him. Mother tells him that is how she got locked up. Student’s academics are average; however he is very fearful of math. He has major bullying tendencies. He always has to have the last word in all conversations and is a very likable child. Case Manager began working with student. It was very hard to earn his trust. Used only one area of focus and that was trust. Case Manager made him realize she didn’t trust him either. That was very shocking to him, however he responded. Student was introduced to POINTS as a means to modify his behavior. He is a collector of match box cars and wanted a set from Wal-Mart. This was the incentive used by Case Manager to balance the relationship between her and the student and it gave him a point of focus to gauge his behavior patterns. Trust began to be earned by both parties to this relationship and he began to open up to the Case Manager; most time in tears. His behaviors began to change and he began to like self. Teachers stated to Case Manager that he was definitely a success story for the effectiveness of The Points Method™. Grandmother doesn’t assist very much. ORDER YOUR COPY AND START THE HEALING PROCESS! This book is written to give professionals an in depth look at parenting and educating children in today's world. It offers proven techniques that will break through years of misfortune and occurrences that have managed to create a block in the life of a child. As you read these case studies, you will see how other professionals were empowered with the means to reach children and start the process of healing.