Thursday 6 February 2014

10 Different Insights into What Makes a Great Teacher


“…great teachers do not teach. They stack the deck so that students have a reason to learn and in the process can’t help but learn mainly by teaching themselves. This knowledge then becomes permanent and cherished rather than illusory and irrelevant.“ Ben Johnson

This blog was inspired while I was attending ISTE13 where I met some of the most incredible educators in the world. They all seem to share similar traits, and yet all be distinguished individuals. The attendees, the majority of who were teachers or administrators or in some other capacity involved in education, were invigorated, energized, and carried themselves with greatness. Teacher education programs have struggled for years to identify what makes a great teacher. We have tried, yet never identified what makes great teachers in any reliable, objective way. College education classes spend way too much time on the theories of education and not enough time on actually how to teach. Most prospective teachers graduate from college with little or no real practical experience in the real world of managing a classroom environment. The debate continues whether teaching is an art or a science, which teaching style/method is most effective, and whether great teachers are born or made. We are living with dichotomy in our world, as Adam Bellow so eloquently stated in the end keynote at ISTE, Schools block Facebook access for students but have their own school Facebook pages. What an amazing experience being with like-minded educators that understand technology and where the educational landscape needs to go.
1. Great Teachers Don’t Teach by Ben JohnsonEdutopia  – “… great teachers do not teach. They stack the deck so that students have a reason to learn and in the process can’t help but learn mainly by teaching themselves. This knowledge then becomes permanent and cherished rather than illusory and irrelevant.
2. What makes great teaching? by Joe Kirby in Pragmatic Education – “Students in the classroom of the most effective teachers make double the amount of progress of average teachers in a year.”
3. What makes a great teacher? by Great Schools  – “Study after study shows the single most important factor determining the quality of the education a child receives is the quality of his teacher.”
4. Nine Characteristics of a Great Teacher by Maria Orlando for Faculty Focus – “Great teaching seems to have less to do with our knowledge and skills than with our attitude toward our students, our subject, and our work.”
5. Weigh In: What Makes a Great Teacher? by Jacqueline Heinze, Scholastic  – “In this information age, educators must become guides to learning. Children are now so techno-savvy that they are learning all day every day as long as there is a power cord or a battery or Wi-Fi. A great teacher must have digital agility.” Gregory E. Thornton, superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools
6. How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation by Katrina SchwartzMindShift  – “Rather than saying no when an idea conflicts with district policy, he works to change the policy. He’s found that working that way removes most of the barriers people cite as obstacles to fully integrating technology into classrooms.”  Eric Williams, Superintendent York County School Division in Virginia
7. The NY Times, Sunday Dialogue: A Talent for Teaching – Letter To the Editor: –“Seasoned professionals know what works: being creative, independent, spontaneous, practical and rule-bending. Often it is the least orthodox teacher who most engages and excites students. Scripts and rules and models strictly followed cannot replace what the best teachers have: practical wisdom.” David Greene Hartsdale, NY
8. Who Makes Great Teachers? by EdSurge News Brief – “Only seven percent of programs match student teachers with top performing senior teachers.”
9. Valerie Strauss refers to Pasi Sahlbergin What if Finland’s great teachers taught in U.S. schools? on The Washington Post, The Answer Sheet – “But education policies in Finland concentrate more on school effectiveness than on teacher effectiveness. This indicates that what schools are expected to do is an effort of everyone in a school, working together, rather than teachers working individually.”
10Can anyone be a great teacher? by Annette Breaux for SmartBlog on Education – “In actuality, great teachers work very hard to earn their coveted status. There’s no magic involved, but they do seem to work magic every day in their classrooms!”
In this age of information, educators must become guides to learning. A great teacher must have digital agility, and accept change with welcome arms. Remember the technology does not make or break a great teacher, it is a tool that needs to be facilitated properly to prepare students for what lies ahead in this great new world.

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Shell Graduate Recruitment 2014

At Shell, we focus on innovation and technology to help meet the growing demand for energy. We are looking for ambitious students and graduates who have expressed capacity, achievement and strong relationship skills to deliver on the global energy challenge. Shell is an equal opportunity employer and an advocate for diversity and inclusion.

Shell Graduate Programme
The Shell Graduate Programme is a development framework that enables new graduates to become fully independent Shell professionals in 2-5 years.
At Shell, new graduates have access to a range of roles and world-class training and development opportunities, including:
·         Leadership skills development
·         Networking, Coaching and Mentoring relationships
·         Learning curriculum (training, e-learning modules, accreditation) 


Requirement:
·         Successfully completed WAEC or its equivalent with at least credit ratings in Math and English in not more than two sittings
·         Finished first degree not more than four years ago
·         Completed bachelors degree with at least second class upper
·         Completed or will be completing NYSC in 2014
·         Graduates who have not taken part in a Shell Recruitment Day in the past 3 years or written our test in the past 12 months

Shell matches graduates into a particular role based on their skills, so graduates will not be required to apply for a specific Shell position.

To apply, visit us at www.shell.com/careers

Click on icon below for candidate application guide

Sunday 2 February 2014

Nigerian Ports Authority graduate recruitment 2014



Nigerian Ports Authority GRADUATES RECRUITMENT 2014. Minimum ofB.Sc/ HND in social sciences & humanities. applicant should be between22-35years old Deadline:10th February, 2014. Method of Applicationsend CV or application to: General Manager Human Resources: NigerianPorts Authority (NPA), 26/28 Marina, Lagos. OR E-mail to:Info@nigerianports.org. U please inform your eligible friends.

Invest in Northern Nigeria Limited - 2014 Job offers


Invest-in-Northern-Nigeria limited company is a multi-investment special purpose 
vehicle for the development of key northern regional, economic and social 
infrastructure.
The company is looking to recruit self motivating and eloquent speaking graduates with strong business reasoning to join it’s team of professionals in various capacities. The following positions are open for application:
1. Strategy Officer: Degree in Business Management, International Relations, Economics, Finance, Information Technology, Mathematics, Engineering (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, etc), or any such professional qualification that enables one to use his/her knowledge in such an Investment Facilitation Special Purpose Vehicle professionally and productively.
2. Marketing Officers: Requirements as in 1 above
3. Investment Officers: Requirements as in 1 above.
Condition:
A. Graduates with not more than 3 years working experience. Previous spell with a top brand company involved in investment facilitation would be added advantage.
B. Minimum of Second Class Upper shall be considered.
C. Candidates are expected to move freely throughout the 19 Northern states as the business may require. Residency in any of the Northern states could be an added advantage.
D. Candidates should be between 22 – 31 years of age by January 1st 2014.
All applicants are expected to send the following to info@mbfsed.com or mb@mbfsed.com on or before 17th Feb 2014.
1. Cover letter detailing your experiences and how you could effectively contribute to the strategic vision of Invest in Northern Nigeria Limited.
2. Curriculum vit
3. Copies of degree/s certificates.
4. NYSC discharge certificate.
For more information about the initiative, visit www.iinnl.com